Employee jobs in Northern Ireland continue to grow in the second quarter of 2026
Date published:
The Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) was published today by NISRA. The latest estimates show that the total number of employee jobs in NI continues to grow and has reached a new high in June 2026. Growth is driven primarily by the Services sector.
Key findings
- Employee jobs, adjusted for seasonality, increased by 0.4% (3,260 jobs) between March 2026 and June 2026.
- Over the year, employee jobs in Northern Ireland have increased by 2.1% (17,720 jobs).
- The second quarter of 2026 (2 March to 1 June 26) has seen increases in the Services (+3,320 jobs) and Manufacturing (+210 jobs) sectors, while there were decreases in the Construction (-230 jobs) and Other Industries (-50 jobs) sectors.
- Since 2 June 2025, employee jobs in Northern Ireland have increased across all sectors. Construction increased by 1,550 jobs; Services by 14,820 jobs; Manufacturing by 670 jobs; and Other Industries by 690 jobs.
- There have been increases in both Public and Private sector jobs over the quarter and over the year. Since March 2026, Public sector jobs, adjusted for seasonality, have increased by 2,200 jobs, and Private sector employee jobs have increased by 2,020 jobs.
- Over the year, Public sector jobs have increased by 5,630 jobs and Private sector employee jobs have increased by 11,940 jobs.
- The latest seasonally adjusted employee jobs estimate for Northern Ireland as of June 2026 was 857,660.
About this publication
The Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) Statistics, which are Accredited Official Statistics, provide a timely measure of change in employee jobs in Northern Ireland. Employee jobs estimates are seasonally adjusted, to provide better estimates of the overall trend.
Employers were asked to declare employee numbers as on 1 June 2026. 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.
In the publication and accompanying data tables, seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted estimates are published for the four broad industry sectors, SIC 07 industry section, public and private sector jobs, male female and working pattern (full or part time). Public sector jobs are split by organisation.
Further Information
Read the full report: Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey June 2026
View background information and data tables: Quarterly Employment Survey