All tables associated with this report can be downloaded from the NISRA website.
1. Overview
1.1 Key points
Employment section 3.3
Employment section 3.4
Unemployment section 2.2
Unemployment section 2.3
Unemployment section 2.1
Employment section 3.1
Economic inactivity section 4.1
Employment section 3.2
1.2 Commentary
The latest Labour Market release shows that over the year both payrolled employee numbers and earnings have increased. Additionally, there was little change over the year in the Labour Force Survey employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity rates.
The latest HMRC payroll data shows that payrolled employees decreased by 0.1% over the month and increased by 1.1% over the year. Payrolled earnings increased by 0.2% over the month and were 7.0% higher than October 2023.
Households reported, via the Labour Force Survey (LFS), over the year to July-September 2024, a 0.4pps increase in the economic inactivity rate (to 28.2%), a decrease of 0.3pps in the unemployment rate (to 2.0%) and a decrease of 0.3pps in the employment rate (to 70.3%). None of these annual changes were statistically significant.
The total number of hours worked in July-September 2024 increased by 1.2% over the year, to 27.7 million hours per week. This is 4.8% below the pre-pandemic position recorded in October-December 2019.
There was an increase of 1.3% in the claimant count estimate over the month to October 2024, from the revised figure for September 2024. The claimant count rate for October 2024 was 4.3%, an increase from the revised rate for September 2024 (4.2%) and the highest rate since December 2021. These increases are largely due to the increase in the administrative earnings threshold for Universal Credit introduced in May 2024.
Finally, in October 2024, the Department was notified of 170 confirmed redundancies, bringing the rolling twelve-month total of confirmed redundancies to 2,010, approximately 90 percent of the figure for the previous year (2,220). There were also 250 proposed redundancies reported to the Department in October 2024, which brought the annual total of proposed redundancies to 3,070, around three-quarters of the figure for the previous year (4,110). The rolling twelve-month total of proposed redundancies is similar to the levels seen in the decade preceding the pandemic while the rolling twelve-month total of confirmed redundancies is at the lowest level since September 2023.
1.3 Things users need to know
Labour Market Statistics – Transformation in Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is currently in the process of transforming the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and associated labour market statistics for Northern Ireland. This work is being advanced alongside work by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to transform the LFS in GB.
On 10th April 2024, NISRA published The Transformation of Labour Market Statistics in Northern Ireland – NISRA User Information Paper April 2024 which provides an update on the work as at this date. It provides background on the current LFS along with an overview of NISRA’s Social Surveys, outlining both the potential and necessity to change how such surveys are conducted in the future. The paper also details how the new Labour Market Survey (LMS) will follow an online first approach, highlighting how both the content of the questionnaire and supporting field operation have been tailored to meet local needs. As the paper outlines, the new online survey was initiated in October 2023 and is currently delivering encouraging Wave 1 response rates that are exceeding those secured through the LFS.
Alongside this, an LMS & LFS Mapping Document - April 2024 has been published. This document compares all of the questionnaire variables in the LMS to the LFS and highlights differences and similarities between them. More information on the Transformation of the Labour Market Statistics in NI can be found at Labour Force Survey Transformation.
If, on reading the information paper and associated documentation, you have any queries regarding NISRA’s work in this space we would love to hear from you. All queries should be sent to: Labourmarketstatistics@nisra.gov.uk.
1.4 Context
The Labour Market Report is a monthly overview of key labour market statistics for NI.
The Use of Economic and Labour Market Business and Household Surveys page provides recent examples of how data collected from the Labour Force Survey is used to inform, develop and monitor evidence-based policies. A Labour Market Outputs consultation in summer 2019 (Labour Market Statistics User Engagement page) showed labour market statistics are also used in academic and private sector research. Significant non-governmental users of labour market statistics include the media, banks, academics, private consultants, and the general public. User requested analysis is published on the NISRA website.
2. Unemployment
2.1 Labour Force Survey unemployment
LFS unemployment: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines unemployed as those aged 16 and over without a job who were able to start work in the two weeks following their LFS interview and had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.
Key findings
- The NI unemployment rate for July-September 2024 was unchanged over the quarter and decreased over the year to 2.0%.
- The most recent UK unemployment rate for July-September 2024 was estimated at 4.3%.
Figure 1: The latest NI unemployment rate remains historically low
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (Age 16 and over), Jul-Sep 2009 to Jul-Sep 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
---|---|---|
Jul-Sep 2009 | 7.0 | 7.8 |
Oct-Dec 2009 | 5.9 | 7.8 |
Jan-Mar 2010 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
Apr-Jun 2010 | 6.6 | 7.9 |
Jul-Sep 2010 | 6.9 | 7.8 |
Oct-Dec 2010 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
Jan-Mar 2011 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
Apr-Jun 2011 | 7.3 | 7.9 |
Jul-Sep 2011 | 7.3 | 8.3 |
Oct-Dec 2011 | 7.0 | 8.4 |
Jan-Mar 2012 | 6.7 | 8.2 |
Apr-Jun 2012 | 7.7 | 8.0 |
Jul-Sep 2012 | 7.7 | 7.9 |
Oct-Dec 2012 | 7.6 | 7.8 |
Jan-Mar 2013 | 8.0 | 7.9 |
Apr-Jun 2013 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
Jul-Sep 2013 | 7.4 | 7.6 |
Oct-Dec 2013 | 7.3 | 7.2 |
Jan-Mar 2014 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
Apr-Jun 2014 | 6.5 | 6.3 |
Jul-Sep 2014 | 6.2 | 6.0 |
Oct-Dec 2014 | 5.8 | 5.7 |
Jan-Mar 2015 | 6.2 | 5.6 |
Apr-Jun 2015 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
Jul-Sep 2015 | 6.0 | 5.4 |
Oct-Dec 2015 | 5.9 | 5.1 |
Jan-Mar 2016 | 6.1 | 5.1 |
Apr-Jun 2016 | 5.8 | 5.0 |
Jul-Sep 2016 | 5.6 | 4.9 |
Oct-Dec 2016 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
Jan-Mar 2017 | 5.3 | 4.6 |
Apr-Jun 2017 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
Jul-Sep 2017 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
Oct-Dec 2017 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
Jan-Mar 2018 | 3.0 | 4.3 |
Apr-Jun 2018 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
Jul-Sep 2018 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
Oct-Dec 2018 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
Jan-Mar 2019 | 2.9 | 3.9 |
Apr-Jun 2019 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
Jul-Sep 2019 | 2.5 | 3.9 |
Oct-Dec 2019 | 2.4 | 3.9 |
Jan-Mar 2020 | 2.5 | 4.1 |
Apr-Jun 2020 | 2.8 | 4.2 |
Jul-Sep 2020 | 3.4 | 5.0 |
Oct-Dec 2020 | 3.8 | 5.3 |
Jan-Mar 2021 | 4.2 | 5.1 |
Apr-Jun 2021 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
Jul-Sep 2021 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
Oct-Dec 2021 | 3.2 | 4.2 |
Jan-Mar 2022 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
Apr-Jun 2022 | 2.7 | 3.9 |
Jul-Sep 2022 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
Oct-Dec 2022 | 2.5 | 3.9 |
Jan-Mar 2023 | 2.4 | 4.0 |
Apr-Jun 2023 | 2.6 | 4.2 |
Jul-Sep 2023 | 2.2 | 4.1 |
Oct-Dec 2023 | 2.6 | 3.8 |
Jan-Mar 2024 | 2.1 | 4.3 |
Apr-Jun 2024 | 1.9 | 4.2 |
Jul-Sep 2024 | 2.0 | 4.3 |
Figure 1 shows the unemployment rates for NI and the UK over the
last 15 years. During this period, the UK unemployment rate peaked at
8.4% in late-2011, while the NI unemployment rate peaked at 8.0% in
early-2013. Following these peaks, both unemployment rates showed a
downward trend until the end of 2019. After rises during the early part
of the pandemic, both rates have since decreased. Over the most recent
year to July-September 2024, the NI unemployment rate decreased by
0.3pps to 2.0%, while the UK unemployment rate increased by 0.2pps to
4.3%.
The NI unemployment rate (age 16 and over) for the period July-September 2024 was estimated at 2.0%. This was:
- unchanged over the quarter; and
- a decrease of 0.3pps over the year (not statistically significant).
The number of unemployed people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 17,000, which was:
- unchanged over the quarter; and
- down 2,000 from the same period last year.
UK regional comparison:
- The NI unemployment rate (age 16 and over) of 2.0% was 2.3pps below the most recent UK rate of 4.3%.
- the lowest of the twelve UK regions.
2.2 Claimant count (experimental)
Claimant Count (experimental) consists of all people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) plus those Universal Credit (UC) claimants who were claiming principally for the reason of being unemployed. Some claimants are wholly unemployed and seeking work, while others may be employed but with low earnings that make them eligible for unemployment related benefit support.
Key findings
- Over the month to October 2024, the NI claimant count increased by 1.3% to 42,200.
- In October 2024, 4.3% of the NI workforce were recorded on the claimant count.
Figure 2: Increase in the seasonally adjusted claimant count rate over the month
NI seasonally adjusted claimant count (experimental) monthly rates, October 2009 to October 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Undercount | Rate |
---|---|---|
Oct 2009 | 6.0 | |
Nov 2009 | 6.0 | |
Dec 2009 | 6.1 | |
Jan 2010 | 6.1 | |
Feb 2010 | 6.1 | |
Mar 2010 | 6.1 | |
Apr 2010 | 6.1 | |
May 2010 | 6.1 | |
Jun 2010 | 6.2 | |
Jul 2010 | 6.2 | |
Aug 2010 | 6.3 | |
Sep 2010 | 6.4 | |
Oct 2010 | 6.4 | |
Nov 2010 | 6.4 | |
Dec 2010 | 6.4 | |
Jan 2011 | 6.4 | |
Feb 2011 | 6.5 | |
Mar 2011 | 6.5 | |
Apr 2011 | 6.5 | |
May 2011 | 6.5 | |
Jun 2011 | 6.6 | |
Jul 2011 | 6.7 | |
Aug 2011 | 6.7 | |
Sep 2011 | 6.7 | |
Oct 2011 | 6.7 | |
Nov 2011 | 6.7 | |
Dec 2011 | 6.7 | |
Jan 2012 | 6.9 | |
Feb 2012 | 6.9 | |
Mar 2012 | 6.9 | |
Apr 2012 | 7.0 | |
May 2012 | 7.0 | |
Jun 2012 | 7.1 | |
Jul 2012 | 7.2 | |
Aug 2012 | 7.1 | |
Sep 2012 | 7.2 | |
Oct 2012 | 7.2 | |
Nov 2012 | 7.2 | |
Dec 2012 | 7.3 | |
Jan 2013 | 7.2 | |
Feb 2013 | 7.2 | |
Mar 2013 | 7.2 | |
Apr 2013 | 7.2 | |
May 2013 | 7.1 | |
Jun 2013 | 7.0 | |
Jul 2013 | 7.0 | |
Aug 2013 | 7.0 | |
Sep 2013 | 6.9 | |
Oct 2013 | 6.8 | |
Nov 2013 | 6.7 | |
Dec 2013 | 6.6 | |
Jan 2014 | 6.5 | |
Feb 2014 | 6.4 | |
Mar 2014 | 6.3 | |
Apr 2014 | 6.2 | |
May 2014 | 6.1 | |
Jun 2014 | 6.0 | |
Jul 2014 | 5.8 | |
Aug 2014 | 5.8 | |
Sep 2014 | 5.8 | |
Oct 2014 | 5.7 | |
Nov 2014 | 5.6 | |
Dec 2014 | 5.5 | |
Jan 2015 | 5.4 | |
Feb 2015 | 5.2 | |
Mar 2015 | 5.0 | |
Apr 2015 | 4.9 | |
May 2015 | 4.8 | |
Jun 2015 | 4.8 | |
Jul 2015 | 4.7 | |
Aug 2015 | 4.6 | |
Sep 2015 | 4.5 | |
Oct 2015 | 4.4 | |
Nov 2015 | 4.4 | |
Dec 2015 | 4.3 | |
Jan 2016 | 4.2 | |
Feb 2016 | 4.2 | |
Mar 2016 | 4.2 | |
Apr 2016 | 4.1 | |
May 2016 | 4.0 | |
Jun 2016 | 4.0 | |
Jul 2016 | 3.9 | |
Aug 2016 | 3.8 | |
Sep 2016 | 3.8 | |
Oct 2016 | 3.7 | |
Nov 2016 | 3.6 | |
Dec 2016 | 3.6 | |
Jan 2017 | 3.5 | |
Feb 2017 | 3.5 | |
Mar 2017 | 3.4 | |
Apr 2017 | 3.4 | |
May 2017 | 3.4 | |
Jun 2017 | 3.3 | |
Jul 2017 | 3.3 | |
Aug 2017 | 3.3 | |
Sep 2017 | 3.2 | |
Oct 2017 | 3.2 | |
Nov 2017 | 3.1 | |
Dec 2017 | 3.2 | |
Jan 2018 | 3.1 | |
Feb 2018 | 3.2 | |
Mar 2018 | 3.1 | |
Apr 2018 | 3.1 | |
May 2018 | 3.1 | |
Jun 2018 | 3.1 | |
Jul 2018 | 3.0 | |
Aug 2018 | 3.0 | |
Sep 2018 | 3.1 | |
Oct 2018 | 3.1 | |
Nov 2018 | 3.2 | |
Dec 2018 | 3.2 | |
Jan 2019 | 3.1 | |
Feb 2019 | 3.1 | |
Mar 2019 | 3.1 | |
Apr 2019 | 3.1 | |
May 2019 | 3.1 | |
Jun 2019 | 3.1 | |
Jul 2019 | 3.1 | |
Aug 2019 | 3.0 | |
Sep 2019 | 3.1 | |
Oct 2019 | 3.2 | |
Nov 2019 | 3.2 | |
Dec 2019 | 3.2 | |
Jan 2020 | 3.0 | |
Feb 2020 | 3.0 | |
Mar 2020 | 3.0 | |
Apr 2020 | 5.7 | |
May 2020 | 6.5 | |
Jun 2020 | 6.3 | |
Jul 2020 | 6.3 | |
Aug 2020 | 6.3 | |
Sep 2020 | 6.1 | |
Oct 2020 | 6.0 | |
Nov 2020 | 6.0 | |
Dec 2020 | 5.9 | |
Jan 2021 | 5.9 | |
Feb 2021 | 6.1 | |
Mar 2021 | 6.0 | |
Apr 2021 | 5.9 | |
May 2021 | 5.7 | |
Jun 2021 | 5.4 | |
Jul 2021 | 5.3 | |
Aug 2021 | 5.1 | |
Sep 2021 | 5.0 | |
Oct 2021 | 4.8 | |
Nov 2021 | 4.6 | |
Dec 2021 | 4.4 | |
Jan 2022 | 4.1 | |
Feb 2022 | 4.0 | |
Mar 2022 | 3.9 | |
Apr 2022 | 3.7 | |
May 2022 | 3.7 | |
Jun 2022 | 3.7 | |
Jul 2022 | 3.7 | |
Aug 2022 | 3.6 | |
Sep 2022 | 3.6 | |
Oct 2022 | 3.6 | |
Nov 2022 | 3.7 | |
Dec 2022 | 3.8 | |
Jan 2023 | 3.7 | |
Feb 2023 | 3.6 | |
Mar 2023 | 3.7 | |
Apr 2023 | 3.7 | |
May 2023 | 3.7 | |
Jun 2023 | 3.7 | |
Jul 2023 | 3.7 | |
Aug 2023 | 3.7 | |
Sep 2023 | 3.8 | |
Oct 2023 | 3.7 | |
Nov 2023 | 3.7 | |
Dec 2023 | 3.7 | |
Jan 2024 | 3.7 | |
Feb 2024 | 3.7 | |
Mar 2024 | 3.7 | |
Apr 2024 | 3.7 | |
May 2024 | 3.8 | |
Jun 2024 | 3.9 | |
Jul 2024 | 4.1 | |
Aug 2024 | 4.2 | |
Sep 2024 | 4.2 | |
Oct 2024 | 4.3 |
In October 2024, 42,200 people were recorded on the NI Claimant Count. This is 34.3% less than the recent peak in May 2020 and 41.2% more than the pre-pandemic count in March 2020. The increases in the claimant count between March 2020 and May 2020 can largely be attributed to the increase in the numbers of people becoming unemployed or having their hours reduced due to COVID, resulting in very low earnings below the administrative earnings threshold. The claimant count rate in October 2024 is the highest rate since December 2021. This increase is largely due to the increase in the administrative earnings threshold for Universal Credit in May 2024. More information on this change can be found in the Press Statement released by the Department for Work and Pensions on 13 May 2024.
The NI seasonally adjusted claimant count was 42,200 (4.3% of the workforce) in October 2024, representing:
- an increase of 500 (1.3%) over the month
- an increase of 5,700 (15.5%) over the year, and
- an increase of 12,300 (41.2%) since March 2020.
Changes by sex:
- an increase of 0.7% in males and an increase of 2.0% in females over the month, and
- an increase of 6.1% in males and an increase of 27.9% in females over the year.
Changes by age:
- Over the year, there has been a 0.7% decrease in claimants aged 16 to 24, with increases in claimants aged 25 to 49 (22.9%) and those aged 50 and over (18.4%).
- Compared to the pre-pandemic counts in March 2020, there have been increases in the number of claimants for the 16-24 (+5.4%), the 25 to 49 (+65.7%) and the 50 and over (+28.0%) age-bands.
Changes by Local Government District:
- Over the year, there have been increases in all Local Government Districts, with the largest increases seen in Mid Ulster (+36.4%) and Fermanagh and Omagh (+29.1%).
UK regional comparison:
- The UK seasonally adjusted claimant count increased by 1.5% over the month to 1,805,700 (4.7% of the workforce).
- The UK count is 33.1% below the recent peak in August 2020 and 46.8% above the pre-pandemic count in March 2020.
2.3 Redundancies
Redundancies: Companies must inform the Department of (a) impending redundancies of 20 or more employees and (b) subsequent confirmed redundancies. Since all proposed redundancies do not actually take place, the confirmed total provides a better indication of real job losses.
Key findings
- 170 redundancies were confirmed in October 2024, taking the annual total to 2,010, which was approximately ninety percent of the figure for the previous year (2,220).
- There were 250 proposed redundancies in October 2024, taking the annual total to 3,070, around three-quarters of the figure for the previous year (4,110).
Figure 3: Latest annual total of proposed and confirmed redundancies lower than previous year
NI confirmed and proposed redundancies, Annual totals, Nov 2008-Oct 2009 to Nov 2023-Oct 2024
Chart
Table
Year | Proposed | Confirmed |
---|---|---|
2008/09 | 6,020 | 4,580 |
2009/10 | 2,840 | 2,490 |
2010/11 | 2,320 | 1,730 |
2011/12 | 4,310 | 2,610 |
2012/13 | 2,380 | 2,910 |
2013/14 | 4,300 | 2,090 |
2014/15 | 2,750 | 1,930 |
2015/16 | 5,560 | 3,440 |
2016/17 | 2,290 | 2,060 |
2017/18 | 3,780 | 2,740 |
2018/19 | 4,370 | 3,100 |
2019/20 | 9,600 | 4,400 |
2020/21 | 3,650 | 3,370 |
2021/22 | 1,290 | 940 |
2022/23 | 4,110 | 2,220 |
2023/24 | 3,070 | 2,010 |
Redundancy notification data generally shows a high degree of correlation between proposed and confirmed redundancies when grouped by year. The graph above shows that, generally the number of proposed redundancies is higher than confirmed redundancies, indicating that not all proposed redundancies take place.
The October 2024 total of confirmed redundancies (170) was below the monthly average seen in 2023 (220). The rolling twelve-month total (2,010) is the lowest total since September 2023.
The number of proposed redundancies in October 2024 (250) is around two-thirds of the monthly average for 2023 (360), and is approximately double the monthly average for 2022 (130). The rolling twelve-month total of 3,070 is similar to the trend seen before the pandemic.
Confirmed redundancies
During October 2024, the Department was notified of:
- 170 confirmed redundancies, below the monthly average (220) during 2023.
Over the last twelve months, to the end of October 2024, there were:
- 2,010 confirmed redundancies, approximately ninety percent of the figure for the previous year (2,220).
- 490 confirmed redundancies (24.5%) in the financial and insurance activities sector.
- 430 confirmed redundancies (21.5%) in the education sector.
- 380 confirmed redundancies (18.8%) in the manufacturing sector.
Proposed redundancies
During October 2024, the Department was notified of:
- 250 proposed redundancies, around two-thirds of the monthly average (360) during 2023.
Over the last twelve months, to the end of October 2024, there were:
- 3,070 proposed redundancies, which was around three-quarters of the figure for the previous year (4,110).
- 1,060 proposed redundancies (34.6%) in the education sector.
- 620 proposed redundancies (20.1%) in the manufacturing sector.
- 480 proposed redundancies (15.7%) in the financial and insurance activities sector.
3. Employment
3.1 LFS employment
LFS employed: people aged 16 or over who did at least one hour of paid work in the reference week (whether as an employee or self-employed); those who had a paid job that they were temporarily away from; those on government-supported training and employee programmes and those doing unpaid family work.
Key findings
- The NI employment rate for July-September 2024 decreased over both the quarter and year to 70.3%.
- The most recent UK employment rate for July-September 2024 was estimated at 74.8%.
Figure 4: Similar trend in NI and UK employment rates over the last 15 years
Seasonally adjusted employment rate (Aged 16 to 64), Jul-Sep 2009 to Jul-Sep 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
---|---|---|
Jul-Sep 2009 | 64.5 | 70.6 |
Oct-Dec 2009 | 65.6 | 70.6 |
Jan-Mar 2010 | 65.9 | 70.2 |
Apr-Jun 2010 | 66.3 | 70.4 |
Jul-Sep 2010 | 66.2 | 70.7 |
Oct-Dec 2010 | 65.9 | 70.4 |
Jan-Mar 2011 | 66.9 | 70.5 |
Apr-Jun 2011 | 67.7 | 70.5 |
Jul-Sep 2011 | 67.3 | 70.1 |
Oct-Dec 2011 | 67.6 | 70.2 |
Jan-Mar 2012 | 67.4 | 70.5 |
Apr-Jun 2012 | 67.0 | 70.9 |
Jul-Sep 2012 | 67.3 | 71.1 |
Oct-Dec 2012 | 67.1 | 71.4 |
Jan-Mar 2013 | 66.4 | 71.1 |
Apr-Jun 2013 | 66.3 | 71.3 |
Jul-Sep 2013 | 67.0 | 71.6 |
Oct-Dec 2013 | 67.6 | 71.9 |
Jan-Mar 2014 | 67.7 | 72.4 |
Apr-Jun 2014 | 68.3 | 72.7 |
Jul-Sep 2014 | 68.4 | 72.9 |
Oct-Dec 2014 | 67.7 | 73.1 |
Jan-Mar 2015 | 68.2 | 73.3 |
Apr-Jun 2015 | 67.8 | 73.3 |
Jul-Sep 2015 | 67.9 | 73.6 |
Oct-Dec 2015 | 68.7 | 74.0 |
Jan-Mar 2016 | 69.2 | 74.0 |
Apr-Jun 2016 | 69.2 | 74.2 |
Jul-Sep 2016 | 70.1 | 74.3 |
Oct-Dec 2016 | 69.8 | 74.4 |
Jan-Mar 2017 | 68.4 | 74.6 |
Apr-Jun 2017 | 69.4 | 74.9 |
Jul-Sep 2017 | 68.3 | 74.8 |
Oct-Dec 2017 | 68.6 | 74.9 |
Jan-Mar 2018 | 69.8 | 75.3 |
Apr-Jun 2018 | 69.6 | 75.3 |
Jul-Sep 2018 | 69.4 | 75.3 |
Oct-Dec 2018 | 70.3 | 75.5 |
Jan-Mar 2019 | 71.3 | 75.7 |
Apr-Jun 2019 | 72.2 | 75.8 |
Jul-Sep 2019 | 72.3 | 75.7 |
Oct-Dec 2019 | 72.4 | 76.1 |
Jan-Mar 2020 | 71.8 | 75.9 |
Apr-Jun 2020 | 69.9 | 75.3 |
Jul-Sep 2020 | 69.9 | 74.5 |
Oct-Dec 2020 | 68.2 | 74.2 |
Jan-Mar 2021 | 67.9 | 74.2 |
Apr-Jun 2021 | 68.7 | 74.6 |
Jul-Sep 2021 | 68.1 | 74.9 |
Oct-Dec 2021 | 68.8 | 75.0 |
Jan-Mar 2022 | 70.6 | 75.1 |
Apr-Jun 2022 | 69.7 | 75.0 |
Jul-Sep 2022 | 69.2 | 75.0 |
Oct-Dec 2022 | 70.9 | 75.2 |
Jan-Mar 2023 | 70.9 | 75.3 |
Apr-Jun 2023 | 70.4 | 75.2 |
Jul-Sep 2023 | 70.7 | 74.8 |
Oct-Dec 2023 | 71.3 | 75.0 |
Jan-Mar 2024 | 71.8 | 74.5 |
Apr-Jun 2024 | 71.6 | 74.5 |
Jul-Sep 2024 | 70.3 | 74.8 |
Figure 4 shows that, over the last 15 years, the NI employment rate has been consistently below the UK rate. Although showing a similar trend, the fall in the employment rate in NI between 2019 and 2021 was steeper than the fall in the UK rate. When compared to the pre-pandemic rates recorded in October-December 2019, the most recent NI employment rate was 2.0pps below the NI pre-pandemic rate of 72.4%, while the UK rate was 1.3pps below the UK pre-pandemic rate of 76.1%.
The most recent NI employment rate (aged 16 to 64) for the period July-September 2024 was estimated at 70.3%. This was:
- a decrease of 1.2pps over the quarter (not statistically significant); and
- a decrease of 0.3pps over the year (not statistically significant);
The number of employed people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 867,000, which was:
- down 12,000 from last quarter; and
- up 5,000 from the same period last year.
Annual changes by sex (for those aged 16 to 64) showed that:
- the male employment rate (73.9%) decreased by 0.9pps over the year; and
- the female employment rate (66.9%) increased by 0.1pps over the year.
UK regional comparison:
- The NI employment rate (aged 16 to 64) of 70.3% was 4.5pps below the most recent UK rate of 74.8%.
- the second lowest of the twelve UK regions.
Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.
Self-employment:
- In July-September 2024, there were 106,000 self-employed, a decrease of 1,000 (1.4%) on a year ago, and 28,000 lower (-21.2%) than the pre-pandemic figure in October-December 2019.
- The proportion who were self-employed (12.2%) remains below the pre-pandemic proportion (15.3% recorded in October-December 2019).
Employment by Age:
- In July-September 2024, those aged 35 to 49 had the highest employment rate (82.2%), whilst those aged 16 to 24 had the lowest (50.5%).
- Compared to the pre-pandemic rates in October-December 2019, the employment rate for all age groups has decreased, with the rate for those aged 16 to 24 seeing the largest decrease (by -5.2pps, from 55.7% to 50.5%).
3.2 Total weekly hours
Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.
Key findings
- The total number of weekly hours worked in July-September 2024 was estimated at 27.7 million hours per week.
- This was a decrease of 4.3% on the previous quarter and an increase of 1.2% on the same period last year.
Figure 5: Hours worked similar to the level one year ago
Total weekly hours worked (Age 16 and over), Jul-Sep 2009 to Jul-Sep 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Total weekly hours |
---|---|
Jul-Sep 2009 | 24.3 |
Oct-Dec 2009 | 25.4 |
Jan-Mar 2010 | 25.8 |
Apr-Jun 2010 | 26.2 |
Jul-Sep 2010 | 24.5 |
Oct-Dec 2010 | 24.7 |
Jan-Mar 2011 | 26.7 |
Apr-Jun 2011 | 26.6 |
Jul-Sep 2011 | 25.3 |
Oct-Dec 2011 | 25.3 |
Jan-Mar 2012 | 26.5 |
Apr-Jun 2012 | 26.4 |
Jul-Sep 2012 | 26.1 |
Oct-Dec 2012 | 26.2 |
Jan-Mar 2013 | 26.6 |
Apr-Jun 2013 | 26.7 |
Jul-Sep 2013 | 26.5 |
Oct-Dec 2013 | 26.4 |
Jan-Mar 2014 | 27.2 |
Apr-Jun 2014 | 27.6 |
Jul-Sep 2014 | 27.2 |
Oct-Dec 2014 | 27.1 |
Jan-Mar 2015 | 27.8 |
Apr-Jun 2015 | 27.1 |
Jul-Sep 2015 | 26.1 |
Oct-Dec 2015 | 25.9 |
Jan-Mar 2016 | 27.5 |
Apr-Jun 2016 | 28.4 |
Jul-Sep 2016 | 26.5 |
Oct-Dec 2016 | 27.5 |
Jan-Mar 2017 | 28.0 |
Apr-Jun 2017 | 28.0 |
Jul-Sep 2017 | 26.7 |
Oct-Dec 2017 | 27.6 |
Jan-Mar 2018 | 28.3 |
Apr-Jun 2018 | 28.8 |
Jul-Sep 2018 | 27.6 |
Oct-Dec 2018 | 28.3 |
Jan-Mar 2019 | 29.3 |
Apr-Jun 2019 | 29.6 |
Jul-Sep 2019 | 28.9 |
Oct-Dec 2019 | 29.1 |
Jan-Mar 2020 | 28.5 |
Apr-Jun 2020 | 22.9 |
Jul-Sep 2020 | 25.4 |
Oct-Dec 2020 | 24.6 |
Jan-Mar 2021 | 25.1 |
Apr-Jun 2021 | 26.6 |
Jul-Sep 2021 | 26.1 |
Oct-Dec 2021 | 26.3 |
Jan-Mar 2022 | 28.0 |
Apr-Jun 2022 | 27.8 |
Jul-Sep 2022 | 26.5 |
Oct-Dec 2022 | 27.8 |
Jan-Mar 2023 | 28.5 |
Apr-Jun 2023 | 28.2 |
Jul-Sep 2023 | 27.4 |
Oct-Dec 2023 | 27.6 |
Jan-Mar 2024 | 28.3 |
Apr-Jun 2024 | 29.0 |
Jul-Sep 2024 | 27.7 |
Figure 5 illustrates that, like many labour market indicators, total weekly hours worked shows a seasonal pattern. Outside of these seasonal variations, a trend of increasing weekly hours worked can be seen between 2009 and the end of 2019, prior to a sharp fall between January-March 2020 and April-June 2020. From early-2021 onwards, the increasing trend returned at a steeper rate than before the pandemic. Hours worked in July-September 2024 remained 6.4% below the peak of 29.6 million hours in April-June 2019.
The total number of weekly hours worked in NI in July-September 2024 was estimated at 27.7 million hours, this was:
- a decrease of 1.2 million hours (4.3%) on the previous
quarter;
- an increase of 0.3 million hours (1.2%) from the same period last
year (not statistically significant); and
- 1.4 million hours, or 4.8%, below the pre-pandemic (October-December 2019) figure.
The average number of weekly hours worked in July-September 2024 was estimated at 36.1 hours for those in full-time employment, and at 17.1 hours for those in part-time employment (for main jobs only, any second jobs are excluded). By sex:
- for those in full-time employment, the average weekly hours worked for males was 38.4 hours, whereas for females it was 32.8 hours.
- for those in part-time employment, the average weekly hours worked for males was 18.3 hours, whereas for females it was 16.6 hours.
3.3 Employees (experimental) from HMRC PAYE RTI
Payrolled employee counts (experimental) from the HMRC’s Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) system relate to employees paid by employers only, and do not include those who are self-employed. Data are based on where employees live and not the location of their place of work within the UK. As employees who were “furloughed” as part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme programme should still have had their payments reported through this system, they should feature in these data.
Key findings
- The number of payrolled employees in NI decreased by 0.1% over the month and increased by 1.1% over the year to October 2024.
- In the UK, the number of payrolled employees was unchanged over the month and increased by 0.3% over the year to October 2024.
Figure 6: Number of payrolled employees decreased over the month
NI payrolled employees (experimental) from PAYE RTI, July 2014 to October 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Northern Ireland |
---|---|
Jul 2014 | 674,349 |
Aug 2014 | 675,860 |
Sep 2014 | 676,819 |
Oct 2014 | 677,825 |
Nov 2014 | 679,753 |
Dec 2014 | 679,776 |
Jan 2015 | 684,497 |
Feb 2015 | 686,977 |
Mar 2015 | 688,305 |
Apr 2015 | 690,763 |
May 2015 | 691,727 |
Jun 2015 | 694,300 |
Jul 2015 | 696,241 |
Aug 2015 | 697,490 |
Sep 2015 | 700,085 |
Oct 2015 | 700,638 |
Nov 2015 | 701,457 |
Dec 2015 | 701,313 |
Jan 2016 | 702,955 |
Feb 2016 | 703,695 |
Mar 2016 | 704,827 |
Apr 2016 | 704,308 |
May 2016 | 705,467 |
Jun 2016 | 705,553 |
Jul 2016 | 706,348 |
Aug 2016 | 707,910 |
Sep 2016 | 709,297 |
Oct 2016 | 710,487 |
Nov 2016 | 713,239 |
Dec 2016 | 713,805 |
Jan 2017 | 712,845 |
Feb 2017 | 714,821 |
Mar 2017 | 716,255 |
Apr 2017 | 716,584 |
May 2017 | 718,806 |
Jun 2017 | 720,470 |
Jul 2017 | 721,123 |
Aug 2017 | 722,657 |
Sep 2017 | 724,029 |
Oct 2017 | 725,330 |
Nov 2017 | 726,632 |
Dec 2017 | 729,938 |
Jan 2018 | 729,826 |
Feb 2018 | 731,291 |
Mar 2018 | 732,072 |
Apr 2018 | 732,899 |
May 2018 | 734,444 |
Jun 2018 | 735,187 |
Jul 2018 | 736,448 |
Aug 2018 | 738,058 |
Sep 2018 | 739,267 |
Oct 2018 | 740,925 |
Nov 2018 | 741,771 |
Dec 2018 | 742,991 |
Jan 2019 | 744,205 |
Feb 2019 | 745,069 |
Mar 2019 | 746,661 |
Apr 2019 | 746,783 |
May 2019 | 747,504 |
Jun 2019 | 746,309 |
Jul 2019 | 748,479 |
Aug 2019 | 748,897 |
Sep 2019 | 749,450 |
Oct 2019 | 749,821 |
Nov 2019 | 751,480 |
Dec 2019 | 751,915 |
Jan 2020 | 753,627 |
Feb 2020 | 754,756 |
Mar 2020 | 755,057 |
Apr 2020 | 743,316 |
May 2020 | 742,714 |
Jun 2020 | 741,814 |
Jul 2020 | 743,030 |
Aug 2020 | 739,003 |
Sep 2020 | 739,150 |
Oct 2020 | 738,424 |
Nov 2020 | 736,930 |
Dec 2020 | 737,963 |
Jan 2021 | 739,867 |
Feb 2021 | 740,331 |
Mar 2021 | 741,745 |
Apr 2021 | 742,184 |
May 2021 | 748,576 |
Jun 2021 | 754,816 |
Jul 2021 | 761,054 |
Aug 2021 | 760,949 |
Sep 2021 | 762,118 |
Oct 2021 | 763,307 |
Nov 2021 | 765,908 |
Dec 2021 | 768,660 |
Jan 2022 | 770,803 |
Feb 2022 | 771,769 |
Mar 2022 | 773,367 |
Apr 2022 | 774,550 |
May 2022 | 776,228 |
Jun 2022 | 775,522 |
Jul 2022 | 777,806 |
Aug 2022 | 780,903 |
Sep 2022 | 780,245 |
Oct 2022 | 781,319 |
Nov 2022 | 782,883 |
Dec 2022 | 784,712 |
Jan 2023 | 785,084 |
Feb 2023 | 786,516 |
Mar 2023 | 789,066 |
Apr 2023 | 788,752 |
May 2023 | 789,087 |
Jun 2023 | 789,586 |
Jul 2023 | 790,593 |
Aug 2023 | 792,396 |
Sep 2023 | 794,402 |
Oct 2023 | 796,366 |
Nov 2023 | 797,114 |
Dec 2023 | 797,955 |
Jan 2024 | 798,556 |
Feb 2024 | 799,448 |
Mar 2024 | 799,677 |
Apr 2024 | 800,953 |
May 2024 | 803,513 |
Jun 2024 | 805,633 |
Jul 2024 | 806,210 |
Aug 2024 | 805,838 |
Sep 2024 | 805,893 |
Oct 2024 | 805,325 |
Please note:
- The flash estimate for the latest period is based on early data and is therefore more likely to be subject to revisions.
Between 2014 and 2020, the number of payrolled employees had generally been increasing each month, peaking at around 755,000 in March 2020. This was followed by a decrease of almost 12,000 employees (1.6%) to April 2020. Employee numbers then remained at a similar level until April 2021 when they returned to a general upward trend once again. However, over the past four months, payrolled employees has settled around 805,000.
Data from the latest HMRC PAYE RTI show that:
- 805,300 people were payrolled employees in October 2024, a 0.1% decrease from the previous month and a 1.1% increase over the year.
- In the UK, there were 30,363,900 payrolled employees in October 2024, unchanged over the month and an increase of 0.3% over the year.
- Over the year, there were decreases recorded in two of the UK regions. London recorded the largest decrease (0.1%) while Northern Ireland had the largest increase of 1.1%.
- Between March 2020 and October 2024, all regions of the UK recorded an increase in payrolled employees (4.7% overall). Northern Ireland recorded the largest increase (6.7%) while Scotland recorded the lowest (3.1%).
3.4 Earnings (experimental) from HMRC PAYE RTI
Median measures the amount earned by the average employee, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the population are above and half the population are below.
Key findings
- Median monthly pay in NI increased by 0.2% (£5) over the month to £2,258 in October 2024 and increased by 7.0% (£148) over the year.
- UK median monthly pay increased by 0.9% (£22) over the month to £2,438 in October 2024 and increased by 7.0% (£159) over the year.
Figure 7: Over the month median monthly pay increased in NI and the UK
Median Monthly Pay (experimental) from PAYE RTI, July 2014 to October 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Northern Ireland | UK |
---|---|---|
Jul 2014 | 1490 | 1598 |
Aug 2014 | 1488 | 1602 |
Sep 2014 | 1489 | 1601 |
Oct 2014 | 1493 | 1605 |
Nov 2014 | 1499 | 1607 |
Dec 2014 | 1517 | 1616 |
Jan 2015 | 1500 | 1620 |
Feb 2015 | 1495 | 1620 |
Mar 2015 | 1501 | 1618 |
Apr 2015 | 1498 | 1613 |
May 2015 | 1498 | 1616 |
Jun 2015 | 1492 | 1617 |
Jul 2015 | 1493 | 1620 |
Aug 2015 | 1489 | 1617 |
Sep 2015 | 1495 | 1619 |
Oct 2015 | 1496 | 1626 |
Nov 2015 | 1495 | 1629 |
Dec 2015 | 1500 | 1631 |
Jan 2016 | 1503 | 1638 |
Feb 2016 | 1509 | 1640 |
Mar 2016 | 1520 | 1645 |
Apr 2016 | 1513 | 1651 |
May 2016 | 1515 | 1652 |
Jun 2016 | 1516 | 1654 |
Jul 2016 | 1521 | 1659 |
Aug 2016 | 1528 | 1660 |
Sep 2016 | 1529 | 1664 |
Oct 2016 | 1523 | 1663 |
Nov 2016 | 1532 | 1666 |
Dec 2016 | 1533 | 1667 |
Jan 2017 | 1535 | 1668 |
Feb 2017 | 1535 | 1677 |
Mar 2017 | 1544 | 1686 |
Apr 2017 | 1545 | 1688 |
May 2017 | 1546 | 1690 |
Jun 2017 | 1556 | 1695 |
Jul 2017 | 1556 | 1693 |
Aug 2017 | 1562 | 1700 |
Sep 2017 | 1565 | 1704 |
Oct 2017 | 1566 | 1706 |
Nov 2017 | 1575 | 1713 |
Dec 2017 | 1583 | 1721 |
Jan 2018 | 1572 | 1725 |
Feb 2018 | 1592 | 1728 |
Mar 2018 | 1590 | 1729 |
Apr 2018 | 1587 | 1729 |
May 2018 | 1605 | 1749 |
Jun 2018 | 1611 | 1756 |
Jul 2018 | 1614 | 1751 |
Aug 2018 | 1621 | 1772 |
Sep 2018 | 1622 | 1761 |
Oct 2018 | 1632 | 1767 |
Nov 2018 | 1638 | 1778 |
Dec 2018 | 1639 | 1772 |
Jan 2019 | 1649 | 1784 |
Feb 2019 | 1690 | 1791 |
Mar 2019 | 1657 | 1799 |
Apr 2019 | 1670 | 1808 |
May 2019 | 1681 | 1816 |
Jun 2019 | 1674 | 1812 |
Jul 2019 | 1682 | 1819 |
Aug 2019 | 1683 | 1826 |
Sep 2019 | 1687 | 1821 |
Oct 2019 | 1693 | 1825 |
Nov 2019 | 1689 | 1830 |
Dec 2019 | 1682 | 1836 |
Jan 2020 | 1705 | 1852 |
Feb 2020 | 1712 | 1861 |
Mar 2020 | 1740 | 1845 |
Apr 2020 | 1656 | 1791 |
May 2020 | 1665 | 1798 |
Jun 2020 | 1709 | 1829 |
Jul 2020 | 1743 | 1859 |
Aug 2020 | 1747 | 1881 |
Sep 2020 | 1770 | 1901 |
Oct 2020 | 1779 | 1911 |
Nov 2020 | 1782 | 1913 |
Dec 2020 | 1795 | 1925 |
Jan 2021 | 1787 | 1930 |
Feb 2021 | 1793 | 1942 |
Mar 2021 | 1797 | 1948 |
Apr 2021 | 1809 | 1963 |
May 2021 | 1805 | 1963 |
Jun 2021 | 1824 | 1975 |
Jul 2021 | 1878 | 1979 |
Aug 2021 | 1821 | 1986 |
Sep 2021 | 1852 | 2010 |
Oct 2021 | 1860 | 2009 |
Nov 2021 | 1859 | 2015 |
Dec 2021 | 1915 | 2036 |
Jan 2022 | 1940 | 2050 |
Feb 2022 | 1918 | 2054 |
Mar 2022 | 1927 | 2075 |
Apr 2022 | 1935 | 2077 |
May 2022 | 1940 | 2085 |
Jun 2022 | 1941 | 2103 |
Jul 2022 | 1955 | 2110 |
Aug 2022 | 1971 | 2118 |
Sep 2022 | 1970 | 2150 |
Oct 2022 | 1987 | 2147 |
Nov 2022 | 2013 | 2188 |
Dec 2022 | 2022 | 2189 |
Jan 2023 | 2045 | 2195 |
Feb 2023 | 2055 | 2207 |
Mar 2023 | 2111 | 2214 |
Apr 2023 | 2056 | 2226 |
May 2023 | 2071 | 2254 |
Jun 2023 | 2080 | 2302 |
Jul 2023 | 2080 | 2267 |
Aug 2023 | 2088 | 2276 |
Sep 2023 | 2102 | 2278 |
Oct 2023 | 2110 | 2279 |
Nov 2023 | 2130 | 2325 |
Dec 2023 | 2148 | 2326 |
Jan 2024 | 2141 | 2336 |
Feb 2024 | 2156 | 2345 |
Mar 2024 | 2173 | 2354 |
Apr 2024 | 2185 | 2374 |
May 2024 | 2236 | 2388 |
Jun 2024 | 2317 | 2389 |
Jul 2024 | 2238 | 2401 |
Aug 2024 | 2306 | 2412 |
Sep 2024 | 2253 | 2416 |
Oct 2024 | 2258 | 2438 |
Please note:
- The flash estimate for the latest period is based on early data and is therefore more likely to be subject to revisions.
Median monthly pay in NI and the UK increased overall between mid-2015 and early 2020. In NI, an increase of 1.6% in median pay was recorded between February and March 2020, followed by a decrease of 4.8% between March and April 2020. The UK also saw a decrease between March and April 2020 of 2.9%. These monthly decreases coincided with decreases in the number of paid employees recorded in April 2020. Since then, there has been an upward trend in earnings, with notable increases since January 2024. The last few months have seen substantial increases, followed by similar decreases in median earnings, which coincided with local pay awards. Earnings are now 1.0% above those recorded in May, before the local pay awards.
Data from the latest HMRC PAYE RTI show that:
- NI had a median monthly pay of £2,258 in October 2024, which was an increase of 0.2% on the previous month and an increase of 7.0% over the year.
- UK had a median monthly pay of £2,438 in October 2024, which was an increase of 0.9% on the previous month and an increase of 7.0% from October 2023.
- NI had the same annual increase as the UK, but was the lowest earning region in the UK in October 2024. London had the highest median pay (£2,894).
- Since March 2020, earnings in NI have increased by 29.8%, 1.1 pps less than the increase in the UK (32.1%) and lowest of all the UK regions.
4. Economic inactivity
4.1 LFS Economic inactivity
Economically inactive: People not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks.
Key findings
- The NI economic inactivity rate increased over both the quarter and the year to 28.2%.
- The most recent UK economic inactivity rate for July-September 2024 was estimated at 21.8%.
Figure 8: NI economic inactivity consistently above UK average
Seasonally adjusted economic inactivity rates (Aged 16 to 64), Jul-Sep 2009 to Jul-Sep 2024
Chart
Table
Date | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
---|---|---|
Jul-Sep 2009 | 30.6 | 23.3 |
Oct-Dec 2009 | 30.1 | 23.4 |
Jan-Mar 2010 | 29.2 | 23.6 |
Apr-Jun 2010 | 28.9 | 23.5 |
Jul-Sep 2010 | 28.8 | 23.2 |
Oct-Dec 2010 | 28.3 | 23.5 |
Jan-Mar 2011 | 27.8 | 23.4 |
Apr-Jun 2011 | 26.8 | 23.3 |
Jul-Sep 2011 | 27.3 | 23.4 |
Oct-Dec 2011 | 27.2 | 23.2 |
Jan-Mar 2012 | 27.6 | 23.1 |
Apr-Jun 2012 | 27.3 | 22.8 |
Jul-Sep 2012 | 27.0 | 22.7 |
Oct-Dec 2012 | 27.2 | 22.4 |
Jan-Mar 2013 | 27.7 | 22.6 |
Apr-Jun 2013 | 28.3 | 22.6 |
Jul-Sep 2013 | 27.5 | 22.3 |
Oct-Dec 2013 | 27.0 | 22.3 |
Jan-Mar 2014 | 27.0 | 22.2 |
Apr-Jun 2014 | 26.8 | 22.2 |
Jul-Sep 2014 | 27.0 | 22.3 |
Oct-Dec 2014 | 28.0 | 22.3 |
Jan-Mar 2015 | 27.1 | 22.2 |
Apr-Jun 2015 | 27.4 | 22.2 |
Jul-Sep 2015 | 27.6 | 22.1 |
Oct-Dec 2015 | 26.9 | 21.9 |
Jan-Mar 2016 | 26.1 | 21.9 |
Apr-Jun 2016 | 26.4 | 21.8 |
Jul-Sep 2016 | 25.6 | 21.8 |
Oct-Dec 2016 | 26.1 | 21.8 |
Jan-Mar 2017 | 27.6 | 21.7 |
Apr-Jun 2017 | 26.8 | 21.5 |
Jul-Sep 2017 | 28.8 | 21.7 |
Oct-Dec 2017 | 28.4 | 21.5 |
Jan-Mar 2018 | 27.9 | 21.3 |
Apr-Jun 2018 | 27.6 | 21.4 |
Jul-Sep 2018 | 27.7 | 21.4 |
Oct-Dec 2018 | 26.8 | 21.2 |
Jan-Mar 2019 | 26.5 | 21.1 |
Apr-Jun 2019 | 25.5 | 21.0 |
Jul-Sep 2019 | 25.8 | 21.1 |
Oct-Dec 2019 | 25.8 | 20.8 |
Jan-Mar 2020 | 26.4 | 20.7 |
Apr-Jun 2020 | 28.0 | 21.3 |
Jul-Sep 2020 | 27.5 | 21.5 |
Oct-Dec 2020 | 29.0 | 21.5 |
Jan-Mar 2021 | 29.2 | 21.7 |
Apr-Jun 2021 | 28.1 | 21.6 |
Jul-Sep 2021 | 28.7 | 21.6 |
Oct-Dec 2021 | 28.9 | 21.7 |
Jan-Mar 2022 | 27.5 | 21.8 |
Apr-Jun 2022 | 28.3 | 21.8 |
Jul-Sep 2022 | 28.3 | 22.0 |
Oct-Dec 2022 | 27.2 | 21.7 |
Jan-Mar 2023 | 27.4 | 21.5 |
Apr-Jun 2023 | 27.8 | 21.4 |
Jul-Sep 2023 | 27.8 | 21.9 |
Oct-Dec 2023 | 26.8 | 21.9 |
Jan-Mar 2024 | 26.6 | 22.1 |
Apr-Jun 2024 | 27.1 | 22.2 |
Jul-Sep 2024 | 28.2 | 21.8 |
Figure 8 shows that, over the last 15 years, economic inactivity in NI has been consistently higher than the UK average, with more variability in economic inactivity in NI than the UK. Economic inactivity in NI peaked during this time-period in 2009 at almost 31%, compared to the lower peak in the UK rate of almost 24% at the beginning of 2010.
During the ten years to 2019, the trend for both the UK and NI economic inactivity rates was generally downward. From the onset of the COVID pandemic, both UK and NI economic inactivity rates increased. Since early-2021 however, the trends have varied, whilst the UK rate has trended upwards, the NI rate trended downwards until the start of 2024 with an upward trend since. Over the last year, the economic inactivity rate in NI has seen an increase of 0.4pps whilst the UK rate has seen a decrease of 0.1pps. The most recent economic inactivity rates for NI (28.2%) and the UK (21.8%) were 2.4pps and 1.0pps above their pre-pandemic equivalents in October-December 2019.
The NI economic inactivity rate (aged 16 to 64) for July-September 2024 was estimated at 28.2%, which was:
- an increase of 1.2pps over the quarter (not statistically significant); and
- an increase of 0.4pps over the year (not statistically significant).
The number of economically inactive people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 632,000, which was:
- up 14,000 from last quarter; and
- up 7,000 from the same period last year.
Annual changes by sex (for those aged 16 to 64) showed:
- an increase of 1.4pps over the year in the male economic inactivity rate to 24.6%; and
- a decrease of 0.5pps over the year in the female economic inactivity rate to 31.8%.
UK regional comparison:
- The NI economic inactivity rate (aged 16 to 64) of 28.2% was 6.5pps above the most recent UK rate of 21.8%.
- the highest of the twelve UK regions.
Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.
Reasons for inactivity:
- In July-September 2024, the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population was ‘long-term sick’. There were 139,000 ‘long-term sick’, accounting for 41.5% of the total economically inactive (aged 16 to 64), or 11.8% of the working age population. This was an increase of 1,000 (0.6%) from the same period last year and of 35,000 (+33.5%) from the pre-pandemic figure in October-December 2019.
- Compared to the pre-pandemic figures in October-December 2019, there has been an increase in the number of ‘long-term sick’ (+35,000) and ‘student’ (+12,000), however the totals for ‘family and home care’ (-15,000) and ‘retired’ (-1,000) have decreased.
Inactivity by Age:
- In July-September 2024, those aged 65 and over (298,000) made up the highest proportion (47.2%) of the total economically inactive (age 16 and over), with those aged 25 to 34 (40,000) making up the lowest proportion (6.4%) across the age groups.
- Those aged 65 and over had the highest economic inactivity rate (88.6%), whilst those aged 35 to 49 had the lowest (16.6%). These rates are similar to the pre-pandemic rates in October-December 2019 (90.1% and 15.3% respectively).
5. Further Information
General Information
The Labour Market Report is a monthly overview of key labour market statistics for NI. It includes figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), claimant count, redundancies counts, and HMRC PAYE statistics. The LMR also contains an overview from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) in March, June, September and December. More information about the data sources can be found in the LMR Supplementary Document.
Comparison between data sources
Although the broad concepts are similar across sources contained within this release, differences in reference periods, definitions, and methodology exist which impact the interpretation of the statistics. Additional information can be found in the LMR supplementary document, including comparisons between:
- LFS unemployment and experimental claimant count
- LFS employment and the number of paid employees from HMRC PAYE RTI
- LFS employment and QES employee jobs
- HMRC PAYE RTI and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
- Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) and HMRC PAYE RTI
More information is also available in the comparison of labour market data sources article by ONS.
Seasonal adjustment
All estimates discussed in this report are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise stated. Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of seasonal factors and the arrangement of the calendar and allows comparison over months or quarters.
Reporting change and sampling variability
Reported change is calculated using unrounded data and is presented to 1 decimal place. When a change is less than 0.05pps, it is rounded to 0.0pps and the data is reported as unchanged.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a sample survey. Estimates obtained from it are subject to sampling variability which means if we drew many samples, each would give a different result. The sampling variability of the Northern Ireland estimates can be found in Table 2.49 of the LFS monthly tables, published alongside this report on the NISRA website. We would expect that in 95% of samples the range would contain the true value.
Alternative release time
The NI Labour Market Report is released at 7am. This is an ‘alternative release time’ agreed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and differs from the standard 9.30am release time for the majority of statistical reports.
Labour Force Survey
Response rates
The methodology for determining the response rate for the NI LFS has been revised to follow the same methodology as that used in ONS. This allows for the comparability of the response rate against the UK.
The achieved sample size for the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey during April to June 2024 was 2,340, a decrease of 9.7% from the same period last year.
Table 1: LFS Response rates, October-December 2021 to April-June 2024
Period | NI Response Rate (%) | UK Response Rate (%) |
---|---|---|
October-December 2021 | 28.2 | 26.6 |
January-March 2022 | 33.3 | 27.2 |
April-June 2022 | 43.3 | 27.8 |
July-September 2022 | 46.4 | 26.1 |
October-December 2022 | 47.4 | 23.6 |
January-March 2023 | 48.0 | 21.5 |
April-June 2023 | 47.4 | 19.6 |
July-September 2023 | 43.9 | 17.4 |
October-December 2023 | 41.9 | 18.8 |
January-March 2024 | 36.1 | 21.3 |
April-June 2024 | 33.2 | 23.1 |
Please note, response rates are updated quarterly.
LFS revisions
LFS microdata are routinely revised to incorporate the latest population estimates. The population totals for January-March 2020 to June-August 2022, however, used projected growth rates from RTI data for UK, EU and non-EU populations based on 2021 patterns. The total population used at that time for the LFS therefore did not take into account any changes in migration, birth rates, death rates etc. since June 2021 and hence the estimates of levels may have been under- or over-estimating the true values and should be used with caution. Estimates of rates for this period will, however, be robust.
The latest LFS reweighting was introduced in February 2024, affecting data from July-September 2022 to September-November 2023, to incorporate the latest estimates of the size and composition of the UK population. Previous reweightings occured in October 2020, July 2021 and June 2022 and an overview of the impact of reweighting on the NI estimates of unemployment, employment, and economic inactivity is available on the NISRA website.
LFS comparisons
Estimates of employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity are derived from the LFS. The most robust estimates of short-term movements in these estimates are obtained by comparing the estimates over separate three-month periods, commonly known as 3 month rolling averages. For example, estimates relating to July-September 2024 should be compared with the estimates for April-June 2024. This provides a more robust estimate than comparing with the estimates for June-August 2024, as the July and August data are included within both estimates. The LFS is sampled such that it is representative of the NI population over a three-month period, not for a single month period.
Suppression and shading
Estimates based on fewer than 3 events are suppressed to prevent disclosure. In tables, shading is used to draw attention to lower statistical quality/precision of estimates that are based on a smaller sample size. Shaded estimates still provide the best estimate of the size of a group but comparison across time or between groups with similar values should be avoided. Unshaded estimates are based on a larger sample size. This is likely to result in estimates of higher precision, although they will still be subject to some sampling variability.
Due to the small sample sizes and the effect this may have on the precision of the figures, estimates for long-term unemployment, youth unemployment and annual changes in unemployment by sex have not been included in this bulletin this month.
Claimant Count
Experimental claimant count
This measure is categorised as experimental as the statistics are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed. ONS have produced a useful guide to official statistics in development, and an FAQ document explaining the difference between the previous measure and this experimental measure is available on the changes to the claimant count page.
Claimant count revisions
Seasonally adjusted estimates are revised on a regular basis. Each month the previous estimate is revised in line with the current seasonal adjustment model, giving the best estimate of change for the latest period.
Also, a seasonal adjustment review takes place once a year. Typically, the last 3 years are revised and this takes the most recent year of data into account when determining the seasonal adjustment model. These revisions affect only the seasonally adjusted data.
Claimant count undercount correction note
A number of claims across the UK to the UC element of the Claimant Count were coded to incorrect locations for data relating to December 2018 to November 2019. This has been corrected for December 2019 onwards, but previous periods remain affected. The impact of the revision on NI for December 2019 was an increase of fewer than 1,000 cases.
Percentage of workforce
The number of claimants as a percentage of workforce jobs plus claimants. Workforce jobs are the sum of employee jobs, self-employment jobs, HM Forces, and government-supported trainees. This measure is only available at the NI level.
Redundancies
To prevent the potential identification of individual businesses, redundancy totals relating to fewer than 3 businesses are not disclosed. The Statistical Disclosure Control Policy is available on the NISRA website.
Redundancy legal requirements
Further information on redundancies can be found in the Redundancies Background Information page.
HMRC PAYE Real Time Information
Age breakdowns are published in January, April, July and October, and industry sector breakdowns published in February, May, August and November. Data are subject to revisions.
Further information on UK monthly pay, UK pay distribution, methodology, data source, collection, and coverage of PAYE RTI data, as well as information on imputation and revisions can be found on the Earnings and employment from PAYE page.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency wishes to thank the participating households and businesses for their co-operation in agreeing to take part in the surveys and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.
6. Contacts
For further information contact:
Labour Force Survey, Claimant Count, and Redundancies
Mark McFetridge
Email: LFS@finance-ni.gov.uk
HMRC PAYE
Brian Grogan
Email: economicstats@nisra.gov.uk
Web: Labour
Market and Social Welfare
Twitter / X: NISRA
7. Accredited Official Statistics Status
These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in August 2010 following a full assessment of Labour Market Statistics for Northern Ireland against the Code of Practice for Statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are therefore labelled as accredited official statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. For further information, please refer to the Office for Statistics Regulation accredited official statistics webpage.
As outlined above, our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards using the details in Section 6.
Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.