NISRA-led Research

The ADR-NI Administrative Research Unit (ARU) is responsible for carrying out government-led research on behalf of NI government departments.

It provides a government research function delivering a research programme anchored on the NI Programme for Government (PfG). The ARU team continuously engage with departmental policy leads to identify novel data linkage opportunities to take forward timely and policy-relevant research.

Most recently, the ARU research team published research on employment of those with limiting long-term illness or disabilities in Northern Ireland. 

Other published research included analysis of: 

Pay gaps – disability and gender

Disability pay gaps

Research will be published in November 2023 using the novel Earnings and Employees Study 2011,  with the following key objectives:

  • compare key job-related and personal characteristics for disabled and non-disabled employees;
  • report on disability pay levels and associated disability pay gaps for a range of job-related and personal characteristics; and
  • examine (model) the associations of key job-related and personal characteristics associated with the disability pay gap.   

Gender pay gaps

Research will be published in early 2024, using the novel Earnings and Employees Study 2011 and will contribute to the existing evidence base quantifying gender pay gaps in Northern Ireland. Pay gaps  between men and women across a number of personal and job-related characteristics will be quantified. The research will also use statistical modelling to identify key job-related and personal factors associated with the gender pay gap.