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Quarterly Employment Survey

The QES provides short-term job estimates for NI, used by the ONS to calculate UK-wide quarterly workforce job estimates.

Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) latest results were published 19 March 2026.

The survey date for Quarter 4 was 1 December 2025.

Latest results

  • The latest employee jobs estimate for Northern Ireland as of December 2025 was 843,860, which is a new series high. Employee jobs increased by +0.3% over the quarter (+2,750 jobs) and increased by +1.3% over the year (+11,120 jobs).
  • Employee jobs increased over the quarter in all sectors, with increases seen within Manufacturing (+350 jobs), Construction (+70 jobs), Services (+2,050 jobs) and the Other industries (+280 jobs) sectors.
  • Employee jobs increased over the year in all sectors, but with nominal increase within Manufacturing (+10 jobs). Annual increases were seen within the Construction (+1,660 jobs), Services (+9,000 jobs) and Other industries (+450 jobs) sectors.
  • In the last five years, employee jobs have increased by +9.6% (+73,740 jobs) to 843,860 jobs.
  • Public sector jobs increased over the quarter (+1,960 jobs) and increased over the year (+4,690 jobs) reaching a series high of 232,230 jobs.
  • Private sector jobs decreased over the quarter (-250 jobs) and increased over the year (+5,900 jobs) to achieve a jobs total of 611,290.

Publication

  • Latest Quarterly Employment Survey publication

Tables 

  • Supplementary Tables
  • Historical data
  • Bulletin linked tables

User Consultation

  • 2017 user consultation

Background information

  • Background
  • Revisions and discontinuity

Mailing list

If you would like to be added to a mailing list and receive the latest publications on the day they publish please email: economicstats@nisra.gov.uk with the title of the publications you would like to receive.

Our statistical practice is regulated by OSR. They set the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Related to Quarterly Employment Survey

Publications

  • Labour Market Reports - 2026

    Published 21 April 2026
  • Quarterly Employment Survey Historical Tables December 2025

    Published 19 March 2026
  • QES Statistical Bulletin Q4 2025

    Published 19 March 2026
  • Quarterly Employment Survey Bulletin linked tables December 2025

    Published 19 March 2026
  • Quarterly Employment Survey Supplementary Tables December 2025

    Published 19 March 2026
  • Quarterly Employment Survey revisions

    Published 19 March 2026
See all publications in this topic

Contacts

Quarterly Employment Survey

Cathy White
Telephone: 028 9052 9351
Email: Cathy.White@nisra.gov.uk
Twitter: @NISRA

See all contacts in this topic

Links

  • Official Statistics producer – Upholding Trust, Quality and Value
  • General Register Office - registration and certification of life events relating to births, deaths and marriages
  • nidirect.gov.uk – the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens
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