Publication Schedule
Economic Overview - Dashboard
Economic Overview - Dashboard (online - opens in a new tab)
A PDF version of the dashboard and the associated data are available at this Economic Overview - Dashboard publication page.
Labour Market Insight - Dashboard
A local labour market insight dashboard has been launched by the Department for Communities which contains data sourced from the Labour Force Survey, Claimant Count, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Business Register and Employment Survey, and Inter Departmental Business Register. The dashboard can be accessed at this link.
Labour Market Insight - Dashboard
Economy & Labour Market - A summary of key statistics
This slide pack provides a high-level statistical summary of the Northern Ireland economy and labour market and should be considered in conjunction with the detailed supporting information and commentary that can be accessed via the various links and associated sources that have been highlighted. NI Economy and Labour Market - A summary of key statistics.
Latest Labour Market Report
The latest Labour Market Report can be accessed via the Labour Market Overview page.
At a glance:
Labour Force Survey
The latest NI seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (the proportion of economically active people aged 16 and over who were unemployed) for the period October-December 2025 was estimated from the Labour Force Survey at 2.2%. This represents a decrease of 0.2 percentage points (pps) over the quarter and an increase of 0.6pps over the year.
The proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate) increased by 0.5pps over the quarter and decreased by 0.3pps over the year to 71.9%.
The total number of weekly hours worked in NI was estimated at 29.6 million hours, an increase of 3.5% on the previous quarter and an increase of 0.2% on the equivalent period last year.
The economic inactivity rate (the proportion of people aged 16 to 64 who were not working and not seeking or available to work) decreased by 0.3pps over the quarter and decreased by 0.2pps over the year to 26.5%.
Further information on the Labour Force Survey
Labour Force Survey - Dashboard
Claimant Count (experimental)
- In January 2026, the seasonally adjusted number of people on the claimant count was 36,600 (3.7% of the workforce), an increase of 4.3% from the previous month’s revised figure. The January 2026 claimant count remains 22.7% higher than the pre-pandemic count in March 2020.
Further information on Claimant Count
Redundancies
NISRA, acting on behalf of the Department for the Economy, received confirmation that 100 redundancies occurred in January 2026, taking the annual total to 2,300, which was nearly twenty five percent higher than the figure for the previous year (1,850).
There were 710 proposed redundancies in January 2026, taking the annual total to 2,880, which was nearly twelve percent less than the previous year (3,270).
Further information on Redundancies
Quarterly Employment Survey
- The number of employee jobs in September 2025 was estimated 838,200.
Further information on the Quarterly Employment Survey
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
- In NI, median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees (“weekly earnings”) in April 2025 were £713, an increase of 7.4% from £664 in 2024. This is the second largest annual increase on record and the fifth consecutive annual increase.
Further information on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Business Register and Employment Survey
- The total number of employees in Northern Ireland, including Agriculture, in September 2023 was 816,562, an increase of 10,714 jobs (1.3%) since September 2022.
Further information on the Business Register and Employment Survey
Inter Departmental Business Register
- The number of VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland in 2025 is estimated to have risen by 1,090 (1.4%) to 81,135. This marked the eleventh consecutive year of increase following a period of decline from 2008 to 2014.
Further information on the Inter Departmental Business Register.
NI Composite Economic Index
- The NICEI indicates that economic output increased by 1.0% over the quarter to September 2025 and increased by 2.9% over the year.
Further information on the Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index
Index of Services
- The NI IOS increased by 1.1% over the quarter (July - September 2025), reaching a series high, and by 4.2% over the year.
Further information on the Index of Services
Retail Sales Index
- NI Retail Sales Index output, a subset of the Index of Services, increased by 0.2% over the quarter (July - September 2025), and by 9.0% over the year Please note that the experimental Retail Sales Index is included in the NI IOS bulletin from Quarter 3 2023.
Further information on the Index of Services
Index of Production
- The NI IOP increased by 0.8% over the quarter (July - September 2025) and increased by 3.8% over the year.
Further information on the Index of Production
Northern Ireland Broad Economy Sales and Exports Statistics (BESES)
- In 2023, total sales by businesses in Northern Ireland (NI) were estimated to be worth £97.6 billion.
- Sales within NI amounted to £64.3 billion, accounting for 65.9% of total sales.
Further information on the BESES
Index of Construction
- In the third quarter of 2025, the total volume of construction output increased by 3.4% over the quarter, decreased by 1.0% over the year and increased by 3.4% on a rolling four quarters basis.