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Women in Northern Ireland 2023

Published 26 November 2024

All tables associated with this report can be downloaded from the NISRA website.

1. Overview

This paper considers the different labour market experiences of women and men in Northern Ireland. A consistent feature of the labour market is higher employment and unemployment rates for males and higher economic inactivity rates for females. These features are explored using estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) individual annual datasets and household quarterly datasets, in addition to other applicable data sources.

1.1 Key points

  • The employment rate for females in NI has been consistently lower than for males over the past ten years. For most of the last 10 years the number of female employees has been slightly higher than male employees (+15,000 in 2023), however, the number of self-employed males was just under three times the number of self-employed females.
  • Over 3 in 5 female employees were in flexible work compared to just under half of males. Females reported lower levels of involvement in decision making (6pps lower), support from line management (5pps lower), opportunities for career progression (5pps lower) and a lower proportion with earnings above the Real Living Wage (5pps lower) than males. Females were also more likely than males to have been bullied or harassed in work (5pps more than males).
  • Although the gap in male and female earnings has decreased over the past 20 years, in 2023, considering all employees regardless of working pattern, females earned 7.8% less than males in NI i.e. for every £1 earned by men, women earned 92p.
  • Males were more likely to work full-time than females. Furthermore, approximately 60% of employed women with dependent children worked full-time, compared to 96% of employed males with dependent children.
  • Although the female economic inactivity rate has been declining in recent years, in 2023, just under three in ten working age women were economically inactive, compared to just over one fifth of men.
  • The most common reason for economic inactivity among women (32%) and men (40%) in 2023 was long term sickness. The biggest difference in economic inactivity between males and females in 2023 was in the number citing family/home as their reason for inactivity. For men, this was the least common reason (8%), in contrast to one in four inactive women (25%).
  • Approximately eight in ten women (79%) with dependent children were economically active in 2023, compared with 94% of men with dependent children.
  • The largest difference between men and women with dependent children was for those with pre-school children. The economic activity rate for women with pre-school age children (70%) was substantially lower (by 26pps) than for men with pre-school age children (95%).

1.2 Context

A Labour Market Outputs consultation in 2019, showed labour market statistics are used for policy monitoring and research, academic and private sector research, service planning and delivery. Responses which related specifically to the Women in NI Report indicated that 63% of respondents found the Women in NI report ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’ for their work.

Government departments are key users of Northern Ireland labour market statistics. In particular, they are used by the Department for the Economy (DfE) to design and monitor the impact of economic policy, including the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland. The Department for Communities (DfC) is leading on the development of four Executive Social Inclusion Strategies, including the development of a Gender Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland. Labour market statistics are used as part of the evidence base to help inform the Strategy.

Other Government departments such as The Executive Office (TEO), the Department of Finance (DoF) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), as well as bodies such as Invest NI and Belfast City Council, regularly require specific ad hoc labour market analysis in order to monitor policies for example, equality and employment. Significant non-governmental users (including the media, banks, academics, private consultants, and the general public) use the data primarily for reporting or researching the performance of the economy. Labour market statistics attract widespread media coverage, with a number of broadcasters publishing articles on the labour market on a monthly basis, generally on the day of publication of the Labour Market Report.

1.3 Things users need to know

The Women in Northern Ireland report is a publication summarising key labour market statistics for females compared to males. Please note data within this report are not adjusted for seasonality. LFS annual datasets are derived from four consecutive quarters of the survey. The resulting sample size of the July 2022 to June 2023 dataset is approximately 10,000 individuals.

The work quality section (section 3.2), looks at eleven work quality indicators (detail on these indicators is contained within the Further information section). Ten of the eleven indicators are sourced from the LFS annual dataset noted above, with the earnings indicator sourced from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). ASHE information relates to the pay-week (or other pay period if the employee was paid less frequently) which included 19th April 2023, the reference date for the 2023 survey. ASHE remains the principal source of employee earnings information and earnings estimates derived from it are Accredited Official Statistics.

Estimates in section 4 are based on the July to September 2023 household quarterly dataset. This dataset is based on approximately 6,500 individuals. Users should note that the estimates from quarterly datasets are less precise (have larger confidence intervals around them) than estimates from annual datasets. Throughout this report, all LFS breakdowns have been created using the ‘sex’ variable and the terms men and males, and women and females are used interchangeably. These terms refer to the respondent’s self-reported sex.


2. Commentary

This publication looks at the experiences of women in the labour market in Northern Ireland and makes comparisons to the experiences of men. Historically, the Northern Ireland labour market has seen higher rates of employment and unemployment for males and higher rates of economic inactivity for females. This report looks at these trends in greater depth and examines the reasons for female economic inactivity, as well as the different experiences in work.

Both sexes have seen a decrease in economic inactivity rates over the past ten years, however the proportion of working age women that are not in the labour force (29.4%) is considerably more than men (21.5%). According to the Labour Force Survey, the main reason that women and men were economically inactive in 2023 was due to long term sickness. However, for females, looking after the family and the home came a close second and was the most common reason given by women over the period 2013-2020. Looking after the family and the home has remained the least commonly given reason for male economic inactivity.

Similar to previous years, women who are working are less likely to be self-employed and are more likely to be working part-time than men. The age of the youngest child in the household is related to the likelihood of working part-time hours for females with dependent children. Those females with dependent children were more likely to work full-time where the youngest dependent child is secondary school age, compared to those with pre-school or primary aged children. Females with dependent children of any age were more likely to work part-time than those without, while the opposite was true for males.

When it came to work quality, men were notably more positive than women in six of the eleven indicators, however the largest difference between the sexes (15pps) was in the flexible work indicator where a higher proportion of women reported having a flexible working pattern than men. The indicators which were least positive for females, when compared to males, were being involved in decision making, feeling supported by line managers, never being bullied or harassed, opportunities for career progression, earnings above the Real Living Wage and job security.


3. Women in the Labour Force

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household sample survey carried out by interviewing individuals about their personal circumstances and work. It provides a rich source of information on the labour force using internationally agreed definitions. Estimates are subject to sampling error (see Further information section) and the Estimating and Reporting Uncertainty paper for details).

3.1 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.
Employment rate: calculated by taking the number of employed people aged 16 to 64 as a proportion of all working age people.

Key findings:

  • In 2023, the estimated number of women (aged 16 and over) in employment was 423,000, accounting for just under half of those currently in employment (48%).
  • The female employment rate was 69.5% and has increased by 7.2pps over the last 10 years and increased by 1.4pps over the last year (2022).
  • The male employment rate (76.1%) increased by 4.9pps over the last 10 years and increased by 3.1pps over the last year.
  • Women in employment was made up of 390,000 employees (92%), 31,000 self-employed (7%) and a small number on government training and employment schemes or unpaid family workers.

Figure 1: The female employment rate continues to be lower than the male employment rate

Employment rate by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Note: graph has a non-zero axis
Table
Year Male employment rate (%) Female employment rate (%)
2013 71.1 62.4
2014 71.5 63.7
2015 72.6 63.0
2016 74.1 63.5
2017 73.5 65.5
2018 72.6 66.0
2019 75.7 67.4
2020 76.8 67.6
2021 73.0 66.3
2022 73.0 68.1
2023 76.1 69.5


Figure 1 demonstrates that, over the past decade, both the male and female employment rates have generally trended upwards towards 2020 before decreasing in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the male rate decreased more steeply than the female rate, both rates have since increased, however the female employment rate has surpassed its pre-pandemic level whilst the male rate has not.

During the decade the female employment rate has consistently been lower than the rate for males, although the gap between these rates has narrowed by 2.2 percentage points (pps) over ten years. The gap between males and females was the smallest in the series in 2022 at 4.9pps, increasing to 6.6pps in 2023. The largest gap (10.6pps) was seen in 2016.

Figure 2: Higher number of males self-employed than females

Number of employees and self-employed by sex (aged 16 and over), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Table
Year Male Employees Female Employees Male Self-employed Female Self-employed
2013 326,000 346,000 83,000 22,000
2014 326,000 352,000 89,000 27,000
2015 336,000 348,000 91,000 24,000
2016 350,000 350,000 90,000 28,000
2017 341,000 354,000 94,000 35,000
2018 344,000 362,000 88,000 36,000
2019 358,000 369,000 95,000 37,000
2020 357,000 375,000 99,000 33,000
2021 356,000 368,000 79,000 30,000
2022 366,000 383,000 76,000 29,000
2023 375,000 390,000 83,000 31,000


Figure 2 shows that overall there has been an increase for both males (by 39,000) and females (by 49,000) in employment over the last 10 years, which was mainly driven by increases in the number of male and female employees.

The self-employment rate is the percentage of those in employment who are self-employed. The trend of higher self-employment rates for men than women is evident over the past ten years and accounts for the difference in male and female employment rates. In 2023 the self-employment rate for women was 7.3%, compared to the male rate of 18.0%.

Compared to a decade ago, the female self-employment rate has increased by 1.5pps whilst the male rate decreased by 1.7pps.

While public administration, education, and health is the most common employment sector for both men and women, the dominance of this sector differs.

Over half (52%) of employed women in 2023 were employed within the public administration, education, and health sector and a further sixth (17%) were employed within the distribution, hotels, and restaurants sector. This distribution is broadly similar to 2013, however there has been a drop in the proportion of women employed within the distribution, hotels, and restaurants sector (by 5pps).

Employment across sectors was more evenly distributed for males in 2023, with public administration, education, and health (18%) and the distribution, hotels, and restaurants sector (17%) being the two largest categories of employed men. This was broadly similar to 2013 (18% and 20% respectively).

There has been an increase in both men and women in Professional occupations.

The most common occupations for women to be employed in, in 2023 were professional occupations (27%) and caring, leisure and other service occupations (18%). Whilst the proportion employed in caring, leisure and other service occupations has remained relatively similar to ten years ago, the proportion of women in professional occupations has risen by 6.5pps.

For employed men, the largest categories in 2023 were skilled trades (21%) and professional occupations (20%). Like women there has been an increase in the proportion of men in professional occupation over the past 10 years, though not as high an increase as for women (3.8pps). Those in skilled trade occupations has fallen from 26% in 2013 to 21% in 2023.

Only 2% of women worked in skilled trades (21% for men) whilst only 2% of men worked in caring, leisure and other service occupations (18% for women).

On average men earn more than women

Estimates from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings show that median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for women have consistently been below males. Although the gap in male and female earnings has decreased over the past 20 years, in 2023, considering all employees regardless of working pattern, females earned 7.8% less than males in NI i.e. for every £1 earned by men, women earned 92p.

The Gender Pay Gap is not uniform across age groups in NI.

  • In 2023, male and female employees had similar median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for all age groups under 40.
  • Female earnings peaked at £15.85 in the 30-39 age group, then tapered off, while male earnings continued to grow into the 40-49 age group, where they peaked at £17.53.
  • The largest gap (15%) was recorded for those aged 60+ where females earned £12.26 per hour, which was over £2 per hour less than males in the same age group (£14.41).

Figure 3: Lower proportion of women work full-time than men

Proportion of full-time employees by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Note: graph has a non-zero axis
Table
Year Male Full-time rate(%) Female Full-time rate(%)
2013 89.8 61.3
2014 89.5 59.8
2015 90.2 63.4
2016 91.1 61.3
2017 90.8 59.8
2018 90.2 59.6
2019 89.2 62.7
2020 89.3 63.6
2021 89.1 63.7
2022 90.6 65.7
2023 90.3 65.8


The proportion of female employees (aged 16 to 64) working full-time has increased over ten years by 4.5pps, to 65.8% in 2023, as shown in Figure 3. With the male rate remaining relatively consistent over the same period, with a 0.5pps increase to 90.3%.

One in three female employees work part-time compared to just one in ten male employees. The majority (74%) of female employees (aged 16 to 64) working part-time stated that the reason for not working full-time hours was that they ‘did not want full-time work’. This proportion and the main reason has been broadly consistent over the past decade. In contrast, the main reasons given for part-time work by males was split between ‘Did not want full-time job’ (39%) and ‘Student or at school’ (37%), followed by ‘Could not find full-time job’ (19%). Over the past decade the main reason for male part-time work has been relatively evenly spread between these three options.

Figure 4: Average hours worked by full-time women are consistently below that of men

Proportion of full-time employees by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Note: graph has a non-zero axis
Table
Year Male Full-time Average Hours Female Full-time Average Hours
2013 40.6 33.8
2014 41.1 34.1
2015 41.2 33.4
2016 40.6 33.7
2017 41.5 33.8
2018 41.3 34.2
2019 41.2 34.9
2020 38.1 32.5
2021 37.7 33.3
2022 38.8 33.7
2023 39.7 33.3


In terms of full-time workers, average hours worked by full-time women are consistently below that of men as shown in Figure 4 above.

3.2 Work Quality

This section provides analysis by sex of all eleven work quality indicators sourced from LFS and ASHE for employees aged 18 and over for the period July 2022 to June 2023 (referred to as 2023) . Details and definitions on each of the work quality indicators are available in the Further information section.

The work quality indicators refer to those aged 18 and over, in line with data available from ASHE, where the rest of the publication refers to the age ranges 16 and over, or 16 to 64.

Key findings:

  • In 2023, the proportion of males was notably higher than females for six of the eleven indicators.
  • A significantly larger proportion of females reported being in flexible work than males, the largest difference of all the indicators (15pps).

Figure 5: The proportion of males was notably higher than females for 6 of the 11 indicators

Work quality indicators by sex, employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2022 to June 2023
Chart
Table
Indicator Male (%) Female (%)
Earning at least RLW 86.8 82.1
Secure employment 97.9 95.9
Neither under nor over employed 90.0 88.7
Job satisfaction 76.4 81.3
Meaningful work 83.6 90.1
Career progression 62.0 57.5
Involvement in decision making 60.7 54.9
Flexible working 46.9 61.5
Line Manager Support 83.9 78.4
Never bullied nor harassed 91.2 86.4
Neither under nor over skilled 47.2 52.5


Figure 5 shows that there was notable difference by sex in ten of the eleven indicators, with the proportion of females significantly higher than males in only four of the eleven indicators.

Flexible working showed the largest difference of 15pps, where over 3 in 5 female employees (62%) were in flexible working, compared to just under half of males (47%). The proportion of males reporting flexible work has seen considerable growth since 2021, increasing from 42% to 47%.

The remaining indicators where females were more positive than males were meaningful work (7pps higher), feeling job satisfaction (5pps higher) and being correctly skilled (neither under nor over skilled) for their current duties (5pps higher).

The indicators which were least positive for females, when compared to males, were being involved in decision making (6pps lower), feeling supported by line managers (5pps lower), never being bullied or harassed (5pps lower), opportunities for career progression (5pps lower), earnings above the Real Living Wage (5pps lower) and job security (2pps lower).

Although self-reported opportunities for career progression were lower for females (by 5pps), this is an improvement from 2021 where it stood at 9pps lower.

3.3 Unemployment

LFS unemployment: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines unemployed as those 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 (numbers and rates refer to aged 16 and over population).
Unemployment rate: total number of those aged 16 and over who are unemployed as a proportion of all economically active people aged 16 and over.

Key findings:

  • In 2023, the estimated number of women who were unemployed (aged 16 and over) was 7,000, whilst the unemployment rate was 1.5%, this was the lowest rate in the time series.
  • Women accounted for under half of those currently unemployed (31%).
  • The female unemployment rate has been lower than the male unemployment rate for nearly all of the last ten years, with the exception of 2020.

Figure 6: The female unemployment rate continues to be lower than the male unemployment rate

Unemployment rate by sex (aged 16 and over), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Table
Year Male unemployment rate (%) Female unemployment rate (%)
2013 8.8 5.6
2014 8.6 3.8
2015 7.7 5.5
2016 6.4 5.1
2017 6.6 3.8
2018 4.8 3.0
2019 3.2 2.9
2020 2.4 2.4
2021 3.9 3.1
2022 3.3 2.5
2023 3.1 1.5


Figure 6 shows that the female unemployment rate has consistently been below the male unemployment rate for the last 10 years, with the exception of 2020. When analysing rates over the last decade, while the two series don’t mirror each other exactly, they generally follow the same trend with both rates converging at 2.4% in 2020, they have since separated with male unemployment at 3.1% in 2023, compared to series low of 1.5% for females. Over this period the gap between the male and female rates has narrowed considerably, from 4.8pps in 2014 to parity in 2020 and stands at 1.5pps in 2023.

The number of unemployed females decreased from 22,000 in 2013, to 10,000 in 2020, before increasing to 13,000 in 2021. It has since fallen to a series low of 7,000 in 2023.

Similarly in this period, the number of males unemployed was highest at 41,000 in 2013 dropping to a series low of 11,000 in 2020, before increasing to 18,000 in 2021. It has since fallen to 14,000 in 2023.

3.4 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 (numbers refer to the aged 16 and over population, rates refer to aged 16 to 64 years).
Economic inactivity rate: the number of economically inactive people aged 16 to 64 as a proportion of all working age people.

Key findings:

  • Just under three in ten women (aged 16 to 64) were economically inactive in 2023.
  • Women have had a consistently higher rate of economic inactivity than men for the last 10 years.
  • The economic inactivity rate for women has decreased over the last decade, by around 5pps, whilst the male rate in 2023 is similar to the rate in 2013.

Figure 7: The economic inactivity rate is consistently higher for females than males

Economic Inactivity rate by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Table
Year Male Inactivity Rate (%) Female Inactivity Rate (%)
2013 21.8 33.9
2014 21.6 33.7
2015 21.1 33.3
2016 20.6 33.0
2017 21.1 31.8
2018 23.6 31.9
2019 21.7 30.6
2020 21.2 30.7
2021 23.9 31.5
2022 24.4 30.0
2023 21.5 29.4


Figure 7 shows that the economic inactivity rate for women (aged 16 to 64) has been consistently higher than men, however the gap between the two rates has narrowed over the last decade reaching a low in 2022 of 5.6pps, it now stands at 7.9pps.

The inactivity rate for women (aged 16 to 64) was 29.4%, this was 0.7pps lower than the previous year and 4.5pps lower than the same point 10 years earlier. The corresponding rate for men (21.5%) was 2.9pps lower than the previous year and only 0.3pps lower than 10 years earlier.

Figure 8: Long-term sick was the most common reason for both males and females

Reasons for economic inactivity by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2013 to July to June 2023
Chart
Table
Reason for Inactivity Male Female
Long-term sick 50,000 56,000
Family/Home 9,000 44,000
Retired 13,000 19,000
Student 40,000 39,000
Other 13,000 15,000


In 2023, the most common reason for inactivity for both men and women (aged 16 to 64 years) was long-term sickness (32% for females, 40% for males). The second most common reason for women to be inactive in 2023 was looking after the family and the home (25%), this was a change compared to 2013, when the most common reason for women to be inactive was family/home (37%), with only one in five (20%) citing long-term sickness.

The biggest difference in economic inactivity between males and females in 2023 was in the number citing family/home as their reason for inactivity. For men, this was the least common reason (8%), in contrast to 25% for women.

Table 1: Long-term sick or Disabled made up the largest component of the economic inactivity rate for both sexes

Components of economic inactivity rate by sex (aged 16 to 64), July to June 2023
Components of Inactivity rate Males Females
Long-term sickness 8.7% 9.5%
Family/Home 1.6% 7.5%
Student 6.9% 6.6%
Retired 2.2% 3.2%
Other 2.2% 2.5%

When those looking after the family or home are excluded from the total economic inactivity rate (Table 1) there is only a difference of 2pps between the inactivity rates for males and females (21.9% for females, 19.9% for males).

4. Women with Dependent Children

Analysis in this section relates to the household unit. Where men or women are discussed it relates to head of households rather than all adults. Where dependents are discussed, this relates only to dependent children. There is limited data available on carers of dependent adults and people with disabilities from the LFS and these groups have not been included in the LFS analysis.

Carers UK have however carried out analysis of those caring for an ill, older or disabled family member or friend. In 2023, they estimated that there were 350,000 unpaid carers in Northern Ireland, considerably more than before the pandemic (212,000).

Unlike the preceding sections, this section uses the July to September 2023 (referred to as 2023) household quarterly dataset. Users should note that the estimates from quarterly datasets are less precise (have larger confidence intervals around them) than estimates from the individual annual dataset.

Dependent children: Those under 16 years and those aged 16 to 18, never married and in full time education.

Key Findings:

  • 79% of women with dependent children were economically active in 2023, compared with 94% of men with dependent children.
  • The economic activity rate for women with pre-school age children (70%) was substantially lower (by 26pps) than for men with pre-school age children (95%).

The previous section (3.4) demonstrated that economic inactivity was higher among women, with the difference mainly being due to considerably more females being inactive than men due to family/home responsibilities. Analysis of household units shows that in 2023 70% of women (aged 16 to 64) who were inactive due to family/home commitments had a dependent child, 6pps lower than last year.

In order to be able to work, many parents with dependent children require regular reliable childcare. Recent research by the Department of Health shows that at 31 March 2023, 3,397 people or facilities were registered for the provision of day care for children under the age of 12, with HSC Trusts in Northern Ireland providing 57,482 places. In terms of those providing day care, this was a decrease of 6% on the previous year, and a 3% decrease in the number of registered places. This provision is made up of child-minders, playgroups, day nurseries, out of school clubs and other organisations.

Figure 9: Women with dependent children have lower economic activity rates compared to men with dependent children, regardless of age of youngest child

Economic activity rate by sex and age of youngest dependent child, aged 16 to 64, NI, July to September 2023
Chart
Table
Age of youngest dependent child Male economic activity rate (%) Female economic activity rate (%)
1 to 4 95.2 69.6
5 to 10 93.4 79.5
11 to 18 92.8 82.7


Figure 9 above shows the economic activity rates for males and females disaggregated by age of youngest dependent child where the age groupings of children are aligned with pre-school, primary school and secondary school age. Women consistently have lower economic activity than men regardless of age of youngest dependent child. Women whose youngest child is of pre-school age had the lowest economic activity (70%), with their male counterparts having a economic activity rate of 95%, 26pps higher.

Table 2: Working pattern of women relates to the age of their youngest child

Working patterns of women with dependent children by age of their youngest child (excluding children under 1 due to maternity leave), (aged 16 to 64), July to September 2023
Age of youngest dependent Full-time Work Part-time Work
1 to 4 55% 45%
5 to 10 54% 46%
11 to 18 64% 36%


Further examining the difference in economic activity, Table 2 shows how the working pattern of women relates to the age of their youngest child. Just over half (55%) of women whose youngest child was of pre-school age worked full-time. This increased to 64% of women whose youngest child was of secondary school age.

There were similar proportions of women that worked part-time when their youngest child was of pre school (45%) and primary age (46%), this dropped to 36% of women whose youngest child was of secondary school age.

Figure 10: Women were much more likely than men to be working part-time, regardless of whether they have dependent children.

Working patterns by sex and with/without dependent children, aged 16 to 64, NI, July to September 2023
Chart
Table
Category Part-time (%) Full-time (%)
Females with Dependents 41.4 58.6
Females without Dependents 28.3 71.7
Males with Dependents 3.7 96.3
Males without Dependents 9.4 90.6


Figure 10 shows the working patterns (full-time or part-time) of men and women with and without dependent children. Women were much more likely than men to be working part-time, regardless of whether they have dependent children.

Approximately seven in ten employed women without dependent children were working full time (72%), which was 13.1pps higher than the proportion of employed women with dependent children working full time (59%). This pattern has been consistent over the last 5 years.

The average age of females without dependent children was higher than that of females with dependent children, particularly for those working part-time (51 compared with 40).

There was very little difference in the average ages of men with and without dependent children working full-time and part-time. Men with dependent children were the most likely to be working full-time (96%) and, on average, were the youngest males.

5. Further information

5.1 Background

LFS Datasets

Estimates in sections 1 and 2 are largely calculated from the July 2022 to June 2023 individual annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) dataset. LFS annual datasets are derived from four consecutive quarters of the survey. The resulting sample size of the July to June 2023 dataset is approximately 10,000 individuals.

Individuals in each wave are interviewed in five successive quarters, such that in any quarter one wave will be receiving their first interview, one wave their second, and so on, with one wave receiving their fifth and final interview. The annual dataset is created by selecting the relevant cases from each quarter and combining them to create a dataset of unique cases. Selecting all wave one and five interviews allows the maximum number of respondents over a one-year period to be included whilst avoiding double counting.

Estimates in section 4 are based on the July to September 2023 household quarterly dataset. This dataset is based on approximately 6,500 individuals. Users should note that the estimates from quarterly datasets are less precise (have larger confidence intervals around them) than estimates from annual datasets.

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. This reweighting only effected quarterly data.

Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been three LFS reweightings of annual data to improve the estimates. In June 2022, the LFS quarterly estimates were reweighted from January-March 2020 to January-March 2022 using updated PAYE Real-Time Information data and with the introduction of the non-response bias adjustment to NI data. An overview of the Impact of Reweighting on the NI quarterly estimates of unemployment, employment, and economic inactivity is available on the NISRA website. This paper also contains the detail on two previous LFS reweightings since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2020 and July 2021.

Publication thresholds

Thresholds are used to determine whether LFS data are suitably robust for publication. Estimates under a cell count of 3 are disclosive and therefore suppressed. Shaded estimates are based on a small sample size. This may result in less precise estimates, which should be used with caution, in particular should not be used to make statements on relative size when compared to similar values. 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.

Sampling variability

The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey. It provides estimates of population values. If we drew many samples each would give a different result. The ranges shown for the LFS data in the table below represent 95% confidence intervals. We would expect that in 95% of samples the range would contain the true value.

Table 3: Sampling variability of labour market estimates, July 2022 to June 2023
Labour Market Status LFS estimate Lower limit Upper limit
Unemployment (aged 16 and over) 21,000 17,000 25,000
Employment (aged 16 to 64) 852,000 839,000 865,000
Economically inactive (aged 16 to 64) 298,000 285,000 311,000
Unemployment rate (aged 16 and over) 2.3 1.9 2.8
Employment rate (aged 16 to 64) 72.8 71.7 73.9
Economic inactivity rate (aged 16 to 64) 25.5 24.4 26.6

Further information on estimating and reporting uncertainty can be found in the LFS background information on the NISRA website.

5.2 Definitions

LFS unemployment

The definition of unemployment used in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is in accordance with that of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO unemployed includes those 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.

The definition of unemployment rate is the percentage of economically active people who are unemployed.

Please note that it is possible for the number of unemployed to increase and the unemployment rate to fall during the same period, as the latter measure is a ratio e.g. if the number of economically active has increased at a faster rate than the number unemployed, the unemployment rate will fall.

LFS employment

The definition of ILO employed applies to anyone (aged 16 or over) who has carried out at least one hour’s paid work in the week prior to interview, or has a job they are temporarily away from (e.g. on holiday). Also included are people who do unpaid work in a family business and people on Government-supported employment training schemes.

The definition of employment rate is the percentage of all working age (aged 16 to 64) people who are employed.

The ILO measures are particularly useful for examining short term and long term trends over time and key LFS time series data are available both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted.

LFS economic inactivity

Economic inactivity is defined as those individuals who are neither in employment nor unemployed as determined by the ILO measure. This economic status includes all those who are looking after a home, are long term sick or disabled, are students, or are retired.

Work quality indicators

Section 3.2 of this publication contains analysis of eleven work quality indicators for employees aged 18 and over, as sourced from the Labour Force Survey and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Further information on the evolving area of work quality and additional breakdowns by age and industry can be found within the latest Work Quality in Northern Ireland – July 2022 to June 2023 publication, released on 27th February 2024.

Table 4: Definitions of Work Quality Indicators

Indicators Definitions
Job Security Employees in a permanent job or in a temporary job who did not want a permanent job
Neither under nor over employed Employees who are neither underemployed or overemployed as per the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition
Never bullied or harassed Employees who reported not being bullied or harassed in the workplace in the last 12 months
Meaningful Work Employees who agree or strongly agree that they perform meaningful work in their job
Earning at least RLW The proportion of employees earning at least the Real Living Wage
Line Manager Support Employees who agree or strongly agree that they are supported by their immediate boss
Job Satisfaction Employees who report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their job
Career Progression Employees who agree or strongly agree that their job offers good opportunities for career progression
Involvement in decision making Employees who report that Managers are good or very good at involving employees and their representatives in decision making
Flexible Work Employees who have a flexible agreed working arrangement of either: flexitime, annualised hours contract, term time working or job sharing; or part-time and not underemployed; or primarily working at home
Neither under nor over skilled Employees who reported having the required skills for their current duties

6.Contact

If you require further information about the figures contained in this publication or the accompanying tables, would like to provide feedback on the publication content, or be added to the mailing list please contact:

Mark McFetridge

Email: lfs@finance-ni.gov.uk
Web: Women in Northern Ireland

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7. Accredited Official Statistics

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 or via the OSR website.