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Work Quality in Northern Ireland

Published 26 March 2025

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

1. Overview

This bulletin contains analysis for eleven work quality indicators;

  • Job security
  • Neither under nor over employed
  • Earning at least the Real Living Wage
  • Never bullied or harassed
  • Neither under nor over skilled
  • Career progression
  • Meaningful work
  • Line manager support
  • Employee involvement in decision-making
  • Flexible working
  • Job satisfaction

Analysis is based on employees aged 18 years or over in Northern Ireland (NI) for the period July 2023 to June 2024 (referred to as 2024) using data collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Supplementary tables also contain additional breakdowns by age, deprivation quintile (most and least deprived), skill level, and sex.

1.1 Key points

  • Job security has consistently been the most attainable indicator, while flexible working has generally been the least achievable.
  • The largest increase over the year was in job satisfaction which increased by 3.9%, to 82.3%.
  • Earning at least the real living wage had the largest decrease over the year by 4.5%, to 79.6%.
  • Males report significantly higher proportions in four out of the eleven indicators, however, the largest difference between male and female employees was in flexible working (17.8pps), with considerably more female employees reporting flexible work than male employees.
  • A significantly higher proportion of employees aged 18 to 39 reported good opportunities for career progression in comparison to those aged 40 and over.
  • Employees in the least deprived areas generally reported higher proportions in most indicators, especially in earning at least the real living wage.
  • Five of the eight indicators included since 2020 showed a significant increase since 2020, with only a small increase in meaningful work.

1.2 Context

New Decade, New Approach recognised that “good jobs, where workers have a voice that provides a level of autonomy, a decent income, security of tenure, satisfying work in the right quantities and decent working conditions, should be integral to public policy”.

In 2024 the Department for the Economy (DfE) adopted the Carnegie Framework - Measuring Good Work as a broader measure of work quality while focusing on a subset of indicators Good Jobs in Northern Ireland to track progress against the Good Jobs agenda.

This framework identifies seven dimensions of job quality of which the work quality measures included in this report fall under:

Terms of employment:

  • Job security
  • Neither under nor over employed

Pay and benefits:

  • Earns at least the Real Living Wage (RLW)

Health, safety and psychosocial wellbeing:

  • Never bullied or harassed

Job design and nature of work:

  • Neither under nor over skilled
  • Career progression
  • Meaningful work

Social support and cohesion:

  • Line manager support

Voice and representation:

  • Involvement in decision making

Work-life balance:

  • Flexible working

As job satisfaction is considered an outcome of job quality (Carnegie Framework - Measuring Good Work) it has not been included within the domains but has been provided in this report for context.

1.3 Definitions

Table 1: 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
Earning at least RLW The proportion of employees earning at least the Real Living Wage
Never bullied or harassed Employees who reported not being bullied or harassed in the workplace in the last 12 months
Neither under nor over skilled Employees who reported having the required skills for their current duties
Career Progression Employees who agree or strongly agree that their job offers good opportunities for career progression
Meaningful Work Employees who agree or strongly agree that they perform meaningful work in their job
Line Manager Support Employees who agree or strongly agree that they are supported by their immediate boss
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
Job Satisfaction Employees who report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their job

1.4 Overview of Indicators

1.5 Commentary

In 2022, three additional work quality questions were added to the Labour Force Survey, these questions relate to bullying and harassment, line manager support, and skill level.

Job security has remained consistently high across the time series, with nearly all employees in secure employment (96% in 2024). This trend held when examined by sex, age, skill level, and deprivation quintile.

Of the eight indicators included since 2020, five experienced statistically significant increases from 2020: job satisfaction, career progression, neither under nor over employed, flexible working, and earning at least the real living wage.

For the most recent period, 2024, the hardest indicator to achieve was the neither under nor over skilled indicator, with approximately half of NI employees reporting that they had the correct level of skills required for their current duties (52%). This was followed by involvement in decision making (55%) with just over half of employees in flexible work (56%), similar to previous years.

At under 60% in 2024, career progression and flexible working indicators were generally less achievable for employees, however they both have seen significant increases over the last five years.

When comparing by sex, the largest difference between male and female employees related to flexible working, with a greater proportion of females in flexible work (65%) than males (47%). Although this is a substantial 18 percentage points (pps) difference, the proportion of males reporting flexible work has grown by 9 pps since 2020.

When factoring in age, employees aged 18 to 39 reported better opportunities for career development (61%) than employees aged 40 and over (51%), while a larger proportion of those aged 40 and over were earning at least the Real Living Wage (RLW) (84%) than employees aged 18 to 39 (74%).

Those employees living in the least deprived areas were more likely to be earning at least the Real Living Wage (85%), neither under nor over employed (90%) and offered flexible working (61%) than those in the most deprived areas (72%, 85%, and 56% respectively).

The largest differences were recorded between those in high skilled and low skilled jobs. While almost all employees in high skilled jobs earned at least the Real Living Wage (94%), this figure dropped to 62% for those in low skilled jobs. Although this is a significant difference, the gap has notably narrowed since 2020. Similarly, there was less chance of career progression for those in low skilled jobs (44%) compared to those in high skilled jobs (67%).


2. Work Quality in NI

2.1 NI

Key Findings

  • Five of the eight indicators included since 2020 have seen significant increases, with employees consistently indicating that job security is the most attainable indicator.
  • The most recent data shows that the least achievable indicator was neither under nor over skilled (52%).

Figure 1: Almost all employees in Northern Ireland said they were in secure employment

Work Quality indicators, employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2023 to June 2024
Chart
Table
Indicator NI (%)
Job Security 96.4
Neither under nor over employed 89.5
Never bullied or harassed 87.4
Meaningful Work 86.4
Job Satisfaction 82.3
Earning at least RLW 79.6
Line Manager Support 78.9
Career Progression 56.2
Flexible Work 56.1
Involvement in decision making 54.8
Neither under nor over skilled 51.8


In 2022, three new indicators were introduced relating to bullying and harassment, line manager support, and skill level, bringing the total number of work quality indicators to eleven.

Of the other eight indicators included since 2020, five experienced statistically significant increases from 2020: job satisfaction, career progression, neither under nor over employed, flexible working, and earning at least the real living wage.

Figure 1 demonstrates the prevalence of the eleven work quality indicators for employees in NI. These indicators can be split into two groups according to their achievability. The first group includes seven indicators that are available to around eight out of ten NI employees or more; these include job security, neither under nor over employed, never bullied or harassed, meaningful work, earning at least the Real Living Wage (RLW), line manager support and job satisfaction. The second group consists of four indicators that are less widely offered, with less than six out of ten employees or fewer actually achieving them; these are career progression, involvement in decision making, flexible work and neither under nor over skilled. Although this second group is harder-to-achieve they have generally seen the largest increases from 2020.

Job security has consistently been the most attainable indicator for employees in Northern Ireland, with over 95% of employees indicating that they were in secure employment each year. In contrast, less than 57% of NI employees indicated that they were able to avail of flexible working over the last five years. Flexible working was the least achievable indicator until the recent introduction of the skills indicator, which indicates whether employees feel like they are neither under nor over skilled in their current job. In 2024, just over half of employees (52%) in Northern Ireland reported that they have the correct level of skills required for their current duties.

2.2 Sex

Key Findings

  • The proportion of males was notably higher than females for four of the eleven indicators.
  • A significantly larger proportion of females reported being in flexible work than males, the largest difference of all the indicators (18pps).

Figure 2: The majority of both males and females reported that they had job security

Work Quality indicators by sex, employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2023 to June 2024
Chart
Table
Indicator Male (%) Female (%)
Job Security 96.4 96.5
Neither under nor over employed 90.5 88.5
Never bullied or harassed 90.0 84.7
Meaningful Work 86.1 86.7
Job Satisfaction 81.1 83.4
Earning at least RLW 83.7 75.7
Line Manager Support 79.5 78.3
Career Progression 58.2 54.2
Flexible Work 47.1 64.9
Involvement in decision making 55.7 54.0
Neither under nor over skilled 55.2 48.4


A comparison of the work quality indicators by sex shows that the proportion of females was significantly higher than males in only one of the eleven indicators (flexible working). With the proportion of males significantly higher in four (earning at least the real living wage, neither under nor over skilled, never bullied or harassed, and neither under nor over employed).

Although the proportion of males reporting flexible work has seen considerable growth since 2020, increasing from 37% to 47%, it is 18pps lower than the proportion of females reporting flexible work (65%).

When considering those indicators where males reported higher proportions than females, the largest difference between males and females was in earning at least the real living wage. In 2024, 84% of males reported earning at least the real living wage in comparison to 76% of females.

2.3 Age

Key Findings

  • Employees aged 40 and over reported considerably higher proportions than employees aged 18 to 39 for four of the eleven indicators.
  • A significantly higher proportion of employees aged 18 to 39 had good opportunities for career progression (61% compared with 51% of those aged 40 and over).

Figure 3: Employees aged 40 and over reported higher proportions in four indicators

Work Quality indicators by age band, employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2023 to June 2024
Chart
Table
Indicator Employees aged 18 to 39 (%) Employees aged 40 and over (%)
Job Security 94.5 98.2
Neither under nor over employed 90.4 88.6
Never bullied or harassed 87.4 87.4
Meaningful Work 82.2 90.7
Job Satisfaction 82.0 82.6
Earning at least RLW 74.4 84.1
Line Manager Support 81.0 76.7
Career Progression 61.1 51.2
Flexible Work 53.9 58.1
Involvement in decision making 55.8 53.9
Neither under nor over skilled 50.4 53.3


Figure 3 presents the work quality indicators by age bands. It shows significantly higher proportions for employees aged 40 and over than for employees aged 18 to 39 in four of the eleven indicators; having meaningful work, job security, flexible working, and earning at least the RLW.

Over the last five years, six of the eight original indicators have seen significant increases for employees aged 40 and over; flexible work (+8pps), neither under nor over employed (+6pps), career progression (+5pps), meaningful work (+4pps), job satisfaction (+4pps), and earning at least the RLW (+3pps).

Employees aged 18 to 39 reported significant increases in four of these six indicators; flexible working (+9pps), earning at least the real living wage (+8pps), neither under nor over employed (+5pps) and job satisfaction (+5pps).

Meaningful work had one of the largest differences between the two age bands in 2024 (9pps), with 82% for those aged 18 to 39 reporting meaningful work, a drop of 4pps since 2020; and 91% for those aged 40 and over, an increase by 4pps since 2020.

2.4 Deprivation (Most and Least Deprived)

Key Findings

  • Significantly higher proportions were recorded in four of the eleven indicators for employees who lived in the least deprived areas than those in the most deprived areas.
  • A notably larger proportion of employees living in the least deprived areas reported earning at least the Real Living Wage, the largest difference of all the indicators (13pps).

Figure 4: A significantly higher proportion of employees living in the least deprived areas were earning at least the Real Living Wage

Work Quality indicators by deprivation quintile (most and least), employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2023 to June 2024
Chart
Table
Indicator Employees living in the most deprived areas (%) Employees living in the least deprived areas (%)
Job Security 94.1 96.6
Neither under nor over employed 85.2 89.7
Never bullied or harassed 91.9 85.9
Meaningful Work 89.1 83.8
Job Satisfaction 79.7 80.3
Earning at least RLW 71.9 85.1
Line Manager Support 79.8 79.8
Career Progression 57.9 58.2
Flexible Work 55.6 61.1
Involvement in decision making 53.1 55.1
Neither under nor over skilled 55.3 40.7


Figure 4 shows that in 2024, employees living in the least deprived areas reported considerably higher proportions in four of the eleven indicators than employees living in the most deprived areas. The four indicators were, neither under nor over skilled, job security, flexible working, and earning at least the RLW.

Just over three in five employees (61%) reported flexible working in the least deprived areas compared to 56% in the most deprived areas. Nine in ten employees reported that their present skills matched their job (neither under nor over skilled) in least deprived areas compared to 85% in the most deprived areas. 97% of employees reported job security in the least deprived areas compared to 94% in the most deprived areas and 85% of employees living in the least deprived areas were earning at least the Real Living Wage (RLW) compared to 72% in the most deprived areas. Those in the least deprived areas have seen an increase of 11pps since 2020 compared to 3pps in the most deprived areas.

2.5 High and Low Skilled jobs

Key Findings

  • Employees in high skilled jobs reported significantly higher proportions than employees in low skilled jobs in five of the eleven indicators.
  • The largest difference remains between those high and low skilled employees earning at least the RLW.

Figure 5: Nearly all employed in high skilled jobs are earning at least the Real Living Wage

Work Quality indicators by skill level, employees aged 18 and over, NI, July 2023 to June 2024
Chart
Table
Indicator Employees in low skilled jobs (%) Employees in high skilled jobs (%)
Job Security 96.0 96.9
Neither under nor over employed 89.1 89.7
Never bullied or harassed 86.3 88.5
Meaningful Work 84.2 88.5
Job Satisfaction 81.6 83.0
Earning at least RLW 61.9 94.2
Line Manager Support 76.3 81.4
Career Progression 44.1 67.4
Flexible Work 57.2 55.0
Involvement in decision making 52.6 56.9
Neither under nor over skilled 53.7 50.2


Employees in high skilled jobs reported notably higher proportions than employees in low skilled jobs in five of the eleven indicators; career progression, involvement in decision making, having meaningful work, line manager support, and earning at least the RLW.

The largest difference between the two groups was in the proportion of employees earning at least the Real Living Wage (RLW). A significantly higher proportion of employees in high skilled jobs reported earning at least the RLW (95%) when compared to employees in low skilled jobs (71%). This difference has narrowed by almost 10pps since 2020 and is primarily driven by the significant increase in the proportion of those in low skilled jobs earning at least the RLW (13pps).

The second largest difference in 2024 was in opportunities for career progression. A significantly higher proportion of employees in high skilled jobs reported having good opportunities for career progression (67%) than employees in low skilled jobs (44%).

In contrast to the earnings indicator, the gap in career progression between those in low skilled and high skilled jobs has increased since 2020 by 6pps.

3. Further Information

3.1. Background

The dataset used for LFS data in this publication is the annual dataset from July 2023 to June 2024. LFS annual datasets are derived from four consecutive quarters of the LFS. 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 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. The resulting sample size of the 23/24 dataset is approximately 11,000 individuals.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is a UK wide survey that provides a wide range of information on earnings and hours worked. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out ASHE in Great Britain and it is carried out by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in NI.

The survey information related to the pay-week (or other pay period if the employee was paid less frequently) which included 17th April 2024, the reference date for the latest survey. The results, therefore, are not necessarily representative of pay over a longer period. They do not take account of subsequent changes in rates of pay which have become effective since April or changes which have been introduced with retrospective effect since the survey returns were completed.

The survey reference date (17th April 2024) was outside the time period for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant; therefore 2024 earnings were not affected by furlough. Over the pandemic period, earnings estimates were affected by changes in the composition of the workforce and the impact of the CJRS, making interpretation difficult. In particular, the 2020 and 2021 data are subject to more uncertainty and should be treated with caution.

3.2 LFS revisions due to reweighting

LFS microdata are routinely revised to incorporate the latest population estimates. The population totals used for the latest LFS estimates use projected growth rates from RTI data for UK, EU and non-EU populations based on 2021 patterns. The total population used for the LFS therefore does not take into account any changes in migration, birth rates, death rates etc. since June 2021 and hence levels estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true values and should be used with caution. Estimates of rates will, however, be robust.

In December 2024, the LFS estimates were reweighted from January-March 2019 to July to September 2024 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 estimates of unemployment, employment, and economic inactivity is available on the NISRA website. This webpage also contains the detail on three previous LFS reweightings since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2020, July 2021 and June 2022.

3.3 Precision of estimates

The LFS is a sample survey and, as such, estimates obtained from it are subject to sampling variability. If we drew many samples each would give a different result. Estimates under a cell count of 3 are disclosive and therefore suppressed. In tables, estimates based on a small sample size are shaded. Small samples 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. The sample used for ASHE survey included approximately 1% of all employees in NI and who were covered by Pay As Your Earn (PAYE) schemes.

3.4 Reporting differences

Reported difference is calculated using unrounded data and presented to the nearest whole number. When a difference is less than 0.5pps, it is rounded to 0pps and the data is reported as unchanged.

3.5 Work quality questions on the LFS

Work quality questions continue to be reviewed, developed and added to the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Three additional questions on work quality were added to LFS questionnaire in January 2022. These focus on levels of support from their immediate manager, experiences of bullying and harassment, and skills required to perform their work duties.

In January 2022, there were changes in one of the main questions used to calculate the flexible working indicator (FLEX10/FLEX22).

  • The way in which the question was asked was changed from: “Some people have special working hours arrangements that vary daily or weekly. In your (main) job is your agreed working arrangement any of the following…” to “Some people have special working hours arrangements that vary from the usual full-time pattern. In your (main) job is your agreed working pattern any of the following…”
  • The FLEX10 options of ‘9 day fortnight’ or ‘4.5 day week’ were combined into ‘condensed/compressed hours’ in FLEX22.

The flexible working indicator was originally defined in 2019 before the onset of COVID-19 and the move towards homeworking, additional questions have been added to the LFS on remote working with plans to review the Flexible Working indicator which may cause a discontinuance in the series.

3.6 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 2: Sampling variability of work quality estimates, NI, ages 18 and over, July 2023 to June 2024

Indicator Estimate (%) Lower Limit (%) Upper Limit (%)
Job Security 96.4 95.8 97.0
Neither under nor over employed 89.5 88.5 90.5
Never bullied or harassed 87.4 86.0 88.8
Meaningful Work 86.4 84.9 87.9
Job Satisfaction 82.3 80.6 83.9
Earning at least RLW 79.6 78.6 80.7
Line Manager Support 78.9 77.1 80.7
Career Progression 56.2 54.0 58.3
Flexible Work 56.1 54.5 57.7
Involvement in decision making 54.8 52.7 57.0
Neither under nor over skilled 51.8 49.7 54.0

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

3.7 Definitions

Employment

The definition of ILO employed applies to anyone (aged 16 to 64) 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.

Employee

Employees are those who are in employment and paid a wage by an employer for the work that they do; this category may be further sub-divided into permanent and temporary employees. The ‘Total Employees’ figure that is used as the denominator is the total employees who answered the question and should not be used as an estimate of total employees in itself. Estimates of employment and employees are available in the monthly Labour Market Report, which can be found on the Labour Force Survey section of the NISRA website. Employment status on the LFS is self-reported, with individuals classifying themselves as either an employee or self-employed.

Underemployed

Underemployed workers are those people in employment who would like to work more hours, either by working in an additional job, by working more hours in their current job, or by switching to a replacement job. They must also be available to start working longer hours within two weeks and their current weekly hours must be below 40 hours if they are between 16 and 18 and below 48 hours if they are over 18.

Overemployed

The overemployed are defined as persons in employment who would like to work fewer hours and would accept less pay for shorter hours, either in a different job or in their current job.

Secure employment

For the purposes of work quality analysis, secure employment has been defined as employees who are either in permanent employment, or are in temporary employment but do not want to have a permanent post.

Flexible Working

For the purposes of work quality analysis, flexible work has been defined as employees who either:

  • Have an agreed working arrangement in their job of one of the following: flexitime (flexible working hours), annualised hours contract, term time working or job sharing
  • Work part time and are not underemployed
  • Primarily working at home

Real Living Wage

The UK Real Living Wage (RLW), which has been in place since 2011, is calculated according to the cost of living, based on a basket of household goods and services. It is higher than the national living wage set by government and is voluntarily paid by employers. The RLW is calculated annually and rates are higher than the National Living Wage (NLW)/National Minimum Wage (NMW) – further information can be accessed at the Living Wage Foundation website.

The Real Living Wage (RLW) is announced in November each year and must be implemented by the following May. As such it is likely that the previous year’s living wage was still in place when the survey was completed (i.e. the 2024 ASHE data relates to the pay period including April 2024, at which time the 2023/2024 Real Living Wage of £12.00 may not have been applied). The previous years RLW is therefore used to calculate the percentage earning at least the RLW.

Based on ASHE data, 84.4% of employees were earning on or above the RLW in NI in 2024, where only the main job has been included for those with more than one job. Data on the proportion of employee’s jobs with hourly earnings below the RLW for all regions of the UK between 2014 and 2024 can be downloaded here(17KB). This data contains all jobs, and not just the main job and so differs from the analysis presented in this report.

Table 3: UK Real Living Wage

Year Real Living Wage
2019/2020 £9.30
2020/2021 £9.50
2021/2022 £9.90
2022/2023 £10.90
2023/2024 £12.00

4. 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:

Patrick O’Kane

Email: patrick.okane@nisra.gov.uk
Web: Work Quality in Northern Ireland

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