‘Levelling up’ should also mean tackling long-term sickness and economic inactivity

There is a socio-economic conundrum in Northern Ireland that has to be solved in order for the Province, to use a phrase close to Boris Johnson’s heart, to ever “level up”.

We have people with among the best educational qualifications anywhere in the UK and some of the most cutting edge high-tech entrepreneurs. Fintech firms and investors in particular are flocking to places like Belfast as never before.

Yet as the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster heard yesterday we also suffer from economic inactivity and long-term sickness within the workforce, particularly in the public sector. As Neil O’Brien, the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, reminded the committee, Northern Ireland is number one for both these malaises in terms of regions of the United Kingdom.

Long-term sick leave, absenteeism and an inactive segment of the potential labour market are issues that cannot be ignored. Yes, in some parts of Northern Ireland average earnings are between a fifth to a quarter below the UK average, making the Province one of the poorest in the UK. And yes, this scenario requires a long-term plan that includes attracting more foreign direct investment, and encouraging further growth in locally-generated, high-tech, export-led business.

But any levelling up agenda must also address the unacceptable levels of long-term sickness and life-long reliance on the benefits systems. Incentives such as higher wages, retraining schemes, and a more rigorous examination of a system whereby it is relatively easy to take long periods of time off work (often at the taxpayers’ expense) should run parallel with the objectives of the “levelling up” project rolling out across the UK, which should be guided by two old fashioned principles: self-help and self-reliance.