NI employment rate reaches record high
The employment rate in Northern Ireland is at its highest ever level, according to official government statistics.
The employment rate in Northern Ireland now stands at 71.7%, according to the latest set of Labour Market Statistics published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency yesterday.
The employment rate, which aims to measure the percentage of adults in work, has increased by 1.7% compared to the same time last year.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “These are encouraging statistics, but we should be far from complacent.
“Our levels of economic inactivity remain stubbornly high.”
Despite being the highest employment rate on record for Northern Ireland, it’s still below the UK average of 76%.
The unemployment rate — defined as those without a job who are actively looking for work — sits at 3.1%. The UK average is 3.8%.
The economic inactivity rate — those without a job who aren’t looking for one such as retirees or sick people — is 25.9% in Northern Ireland.