Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey March 2026
Introduction
Employee jobs estimates are calculated from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), part of the Quarterly Business Survey (QBS). The QES covers all employers with 25+ employees, all public sector employers, multi-activity businesses, and a representative sample of smaller firms.
All figures are seasonally adjusted unless stated otherwise.
Key points
- There were an estimated 853,970 employee jobs in Northern Ireland in March 2026.
-
This was an increase of 8,460 jobs (+1.0%)over the quarter, and
an increase of 15,920 jobs (+1.9%)
over the year. - Both the quarterly and annual change were driven mainly by the Services sector.
Index of Employee jobs
The latest employee jobs estimate for Northern Ireland (NI) as of March 2026 was 853,970 (+/-8,610)1.
Figure 2 shows estimated employee jobs, indexed to allow comparison between NI and the UK. NI employee jobs increased by +1.0% over the quarter (+8,460 jobs), reaching a new series high in March 2026. Over the year (March 2025 to March 2026), NI employee jobs increased by +1.9% (+15,920 jobs).
The increases in employee jobs over the quarter and over the year were mainly driven by changes in the Services sector.
The UK reported an increase in employee jobs over the quarter (+0.3%
or +82,000 jobs) and an increase over the year (+0.1% or +31,000 jobs)
with the total number of jobs at 32.42 million in March 2026.
Figure 2: Index of employee jobs for Northern Ireland and the UK
Index: March 2011 = 100
NI employee jobs reached a series low in March 2012, with UK jobs
reaching a 15 year low in June 2011. NI jobs are now +23.5% (or +162,480
jobs) above the low point in March 2012 while UK jobs are +18.6% (or
+5.1 million jobs) above their June 2011 level.
During the
Covid-19 pandemic (beginning in March 2020), total NI jobs declined over
four quarters until March 2021 before showing signs of recovery in June
2021. By comparison, total UK jobs only showed a decline over two
quarters until September 2020 before starting to recover in December
2020.
1 Represents 95% confidence interval around estimate. More information is available in the QES Confidence Intervals User Guidance .
Manufacturing
Manufacturing sector: Manufacturing contains businesses which produce merchandise for use or sale. It also contains businesses with activity in the printing and reproduction of recorded media and businesses that repair and install machinery and equipment. Manufacturing is part of the broader production sector.
NI Manufacturing sector jobs decreased over the quarter (by -0.1% or
-100 jobs) to 89,970 jobs in March 2026. The UK Manufacturing sector
experienced an decrease over the same period (-0.6% or -14,000 jobs).
Over the year the number of employee jobs in the NI Manufacturing sector
decreased by -0.4% (-330 jobs), with the UK Manufacturing sector
decreasing by -2.4% (-58,000 jobs).
Figure 3: Index of Manufacturing employee jobs for Northern Ireland and the UK
Index: March 2011 =
100
NI Manufacturing reached a series low in March 2013. The NI and
UK series began to diverge from this point, with NI showing stronger
growth in the Manufacturing sector compared to the UK. Manufacturing
jobs in NI are currently +23.8% (+17,280 jobs) above the March 2013 low
point, whilst UK Manufacturing jobs reached a new series low in March
2026 (2.32 million jobs).
Construction
Construction sector: Construction is the process of creating and building infrastructure or a facility. It differs from manufacturing in that manufacturing typically involves mass production of similar items without a designated purchaser and construction is typically done on location for a known client. The Construction sector consists of businesses with activity in the construction of buildings, civil engineering or specialised construction activities.
NI Construction sector jobs showed an increase over the quarter to
March 2026 (+4.7% or +1,930 jobs) and an increase over the year (+5.3%
or +2,150 jobs) to 43,000 jobs in March 2026, which is a new series
high. The UK Construction sector jobs also increased over the quarter
(+1.5% or +24,000 jobs) and increased over the year (+2.1% or +34,000
jobs), reaching a new series high in March 2026 (1.66 million jobs).
Figure 4: Index of Construction employee jobs for Northern Ireland and the UK
Index: March 2011 =
100
The series low in NI Construction sector jobs was in December
2014 (28,750 jobs). The latest estimates show a +49.6% (+14,250 jobs)
improvement.
For the UK, the series low was in September 2013; since then UK
Construction sector jobs have recovered by +35.4% (+435,000 jobs).
Services
Services sector: The Services sector contains businesses which sell services and skills, and includes education, public administration, and health and social work activities. A full list of the industry sections G–S which are included in the Services sector can be found in table 5.5 within the supplementary tables.
Services sector jobs in NI increased over the quarter (by +0.9% or
+6,400 jobs) to 696,380 jobs in March 2026, which is a new series high.
Over the year the number of employee jobs in the Services sector has
increased by +1.9% (+12,930 jobs).
The UK experienced an increase in Services sector jobs over the
quarter (+0.2% or +56,000 jobs) and increased over the year (0.2% or
+53,000 jobs) to reach a total of 27.81 million jobs in March 2026.
Figure 5: Index of Services employee jobs for Northern Ireland and the UK
Index: March 2011 =
100
During the Covid-19 pandemic (beginning in March 2020), NI
Services jobs declined each quarter until March 2021, before beginning
to recover in June 2021. In contrast, UK Services jobs began to recover
much sooner, after only two quarters of decline for June 2020 and
September 2020.
NI Jobs have been on an overall upward trend
since Q3 2024 and have reached a new series high in March 2026 at
696,380 jobs. Similarly, UK Service sector jobs have mainly increased
overall since December 2020, reaching a new series high in March 2026.
Other Industries
Other Industries sector:
this sector contains businesses with
activity in agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying,
electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply and water supply,
sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (industry sections
A, B, D and E).
Estimates for June 2025 from the annual
Agricultural
Census are included in industry section A (accounting for
approximately 90% of the employee jobs in the section). The Agricultural
Census figures are published annually in January and relate to the
previous June.
Other Industries sector jobs experienced an increase over the quarter
(+0.9% or +220 jobs) to 24,610 jobs in March 2026. Over the year, Other
Industries sector jobs increased by +5.0% (+1,170 jobs). Other
Industries sector jobs for the UK increased by +2.8% (+17,000 jobs) over
the quarter to 0.63 million jobs, showing only nominal change over the
year (less than +/-500 jobs).
Figure 6: Index of Other Industries employee jobs for Northern Ireland and the UK
Index: March 2011 =
100
Over the last 15 years the Other Industries sector in NI and the
UK has increased overall. The number of employee jobs in the Other
Industries sector in NI has increased by +24.0% (+4,770 jobs) over the
15-year period to March 2026. UK Other Industries jobs has increased by
+11.7% (+66,000 jobs) over the same period.
Public and Private jobs
Public sector: the NI public sector can be broken down into
five areas:
1. NI central government
2. Bodies under aegis of NI
central government
3. UK central government employees based in
Northern Ireland
4. Local government
5. Public
corporations
Private sector: the private sector
encompasses all for-profit businesses (not owned or operated by the
government) and the voluntary sector, which includes charities and other
non-profit organisations.
Public sector jobs increased by +0.3% (+670 jobs) over the quarter
and increased by +1.9% (+4,460 jobs) over the year. Public sector jobs
have reached a new series high in March 2026 with 233,030 jobs.
Private sector jobs increased by 1.1% (+6,860 jobs) over the quarter
and increased by +1.9% (+11,690 jobs) over the year. Private sector jobs
have reached a new series high in March 2026 with 620,390 jobs.
Figure 7: Index of Public and Private sector employee jobs for Northern Ireland
Index: March 2011 =
100
The NI public sector made up 27.3% of all NI employee jobs in March
2026, while the private sector made up 72.6%2.
Compared with the UK overall, Northern Ireland has consistently had a greater number of public sector jobs per head of population. In March 2026, NI public sector jobs as a proportion of the NI population were 12.1%, which compares to 8.7% for the whole of the UK.
2 The Public and Private sector jobs series are individually seasonally adjusted and as a result the sum of both series may not equal the Northern Ireland total employee jobs estimates and percentage breakdowns may not equal 100.
Full-time and part-time jobs
Part-time: part-time means those who normally work 30
hours a week or less.
Full-time: full-time
means those who normally work more than 30 hours a week.
Please note that data in this section have not been adjusted for
seasonality.
Full-time employee jobs increased by 0.7% (+4,170 jobs) over the
quarter to 562,670 jobs in March 2026 which is a new series
high.
Part-time employee jobs increased over the same period by
+0.2% (+630 jobs) to 290,600 jobs in March 2026, which is a new series
high.
Over the year, full-time jobs increased by +1.6% (+9,120
jobs) and part-time jobs increased by +2.4% (+6,940 jobs).
Figure 8: Year-on-year change in full time and part time jobs by Quarter
Throughout the series the low point for full-time jobs was seen
in March 2013. Since then, the number of full-time jobs has increased by
+26.3% (+117,330 jobs) to March 2026.
The series low for
part-time jobs was in March 2012, and since then there has been an
increase in part-time jobs of +20.3% (+49,030 jobs) to March 2026.
Part-time jobs currently account for 34.1% of all employee jobs.
Section level
Section level:
Employee jobs are reported at Broad
sector level which covers Manufacturing, Construction, Services and
Other Industries. Each of these broad industries can be further
disaggregated into ‘Section level’ as follows.
Manufacturing: Section C
Construction: Section
F
Services: Sections
G-S
Other Industries:
Sections A, B, D, E
Further details on the section hierarchy can be
found online in the
Standard
Industrial Classification.
Figure 9 shows the changes over the quarter (December 2025 to March
2026) by Section. Over the year from March 2025 to March 2026, the
majority of the larger changes were also seen within the Services sector
(G-S) and the Construction sectors (F). The Services sector currently
makes up 81.5% of total employee jobs in Northern Ireland.
The largest increase over the quarter was seen in Section G,
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
which increased by +2.4% (+3,270 jobs).
The second highest increase was seen in Section F, Construction which increased by +4.7% (+1,930 jobs). This was followed by Section I, Accommodation and food service activities which had an increase of +3.0% (+1,640 jobs).
The largest decrease was in Section N, Administrative and support
service activities which decreased by -3.6% (-1,920 jobs).
Further information
Data published within this bulletin is available to download from our QES webpage and the NISRA Data Portal.
Detailed background information documents and methodology information have also been published online for users to refer to for more detailed information on the QES.
We have also published information
on revisions to the QES series.
Seasonal adjustment review
Following the seasonal
adjustment review conducted in May 2026, some of the models used to
seasonally adjust the different time series have been refined. These
annual reviews ensure that the models take account of the most recent
figures.
Definition of employee jobs
Figures from the QES are included in the Labour Market Report alongside figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The QES Survey measures the number of jobs, not the number of people with jobs. A person can have more than one job and some jobs may be shared by more than one person. This differs to the concept of employment measured by the LFS, which defines employment as the number of people in work. LFS employment figures are also based on a rolling three-month period whereas QES measures the number of jobs on a particular day.
Accredited Official Statistics
Accredited official statistics are official statistics that have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and confirmed to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Producers of accredited official statistics are legally required to ensure they maintain compliance with the Code. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by OSR in March 2010 as part of the Assessment of Labour Market Statistics for Northern Ireland with accreditation confirmed in August 2010. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice and should be labelled National Statistics (or ‘accredited official statistics’).
Our statistical practice is regulated by OSR. It 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 contact details below. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Contact Details
Published by: Economic and Labour Market Statistics Branch
Lead Statistician: Adam Crangle
Email: economicstats@nisra.gov.uk
Accessibility contact
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Email: info@nisra.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836
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