Good Jobs in Northern Ireland

One of the key objectives of the Economy Minister’s Economic Vision is to increase the proportion of the working age population in Good Jobs. Providing all workers and their families with a decent and secure income is an important priority for the Department.  In June 2024, Conor Murphy announced the Department for the Economy (DfE) would adopt the Carnegie Framework as its definition of Good Jobs, which focuses on seven dimensions of job quality identified by CIPD. 

Whilst it is recognised that job quality is broad and multi-dimensional, particular focus was given to three aspects of job quality to measure progress against the Department’s Good Jobs focus.  To capture these aspects, NISRA was commissioned by the Department for the Economy (DfE) to develop a Good Jobs Measure for Northern Ireland.

For the purposes of this metric a “good job” is one which meets the following requirements:

More information on the Department for the Economy’s approach to good jobs and the wider dimensions of the Carnegie framework can be found at the Skills and Employment section of the Department for the Economy's website.

The most recent figures for this Good Jobs measure relate to 2024 and are derived from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Headline results

Good Jobs in Northern Ireland – published 11th December 2024 are highlighted below:

Key Points

  • The rate of good jobs in Northern Ireland stood at 66.7% in 2024, marking a 4.2 percentage point (pps) drop from its peak in 2022.
  • The percentage of good jobs in Northern Ireland showed a steady increase from 2017 to 2022, rising from 63.4% to 70.9%. Over the last two years, the trend reversed with consecutive declines. In 2023, the good jobs rate decreased slightly by 0.4pps, followed in 2024 by a 3.8pps drop in 2024.
  • By location of the job at 73.1% Belfast boasts the highest good jobs rate in Northern Ireland, whilst Causeway Coast and Glens has the lowest rate at 54.4%, which is over 6pps lower than the next lowest area.
  • The ‘Transport and Communication’ sector in Northern Ireland boasts the highest rate of good jobs in 2024, with 83.2% of positions in the industry deemed good. The ‘Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing’ sector has the lowest percentage, with fewer than half of the roles meeting this standard (46.5%).
  • People in the 40-49 age group have the highest proportion of good jobs, with 77.7% employed in such positions. Employees under the age of thirty have the lowest proportion of good jobs, 17.0% of those in the 16-21 age group and 59.1% of those in the 22-29 age group.

Current publication and tables