Northern Ireland Labour Market Information
The following surveys provide information on the labour market in Northern Ireland.
Please click on the links to find out more.
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Fair Employment Monitoring Returns
Interdepartmental Business Register
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings replaces the NI new Earnings Survey. A wide range of information on earnings and hours worked is provided.
This is a sample survey. Data on earnings are obtained from employers in respect of employees. It is a paper exercise. The Inland Revenue’s PAYE system is used as the main sampling frame. The sample includes approximately 1% of all employees in NI covered by PAYE schemes. In 2005, the sample also included representatives of employees outside the PAYE scheme.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
The Census of Employment is carried out every 2 years by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. It is subject to confidentiality constraints.
This is a postal survey of approximately 40,000 non-agriculture employers. Information is collected on the number of employees in employment by detailed industrial sector and geographical area. Results are available by gender, full and part-time working.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
The Census of Population is carried out every 10 years by the Census Office for Northern Ireland. It is a population count classified according to a number of characteristics including employment details for all adults aged 16 and over. Approximately 600,000 forms are distributed by field staff to every household and communal establishment in Northern Ireland and then returned by post.
For further information please click www.nisra.gov.uk/census/
The Continuous Household Survey is carried out annually by the Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Information is collected on a wide range of social and economic issues relevant to Northern Ireland.
A sample of approximately 4,500 addresses is used and data are collected by personal interview. Core items include employment status and employment activity.
For further information please click www.csu.nisra.gov.uk/surveys
Fair Employment Monitoring Returns
Fair employment monitoring returns are collected annually by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. All specified public sector bodies and private sector concerns with more than 11 employees provide a written return to ECNI. Information is available on the composition of the Northern Ireland workforce in terms of community background, gender, occupational group and whether they were employed for more or less than 16 hours per week.
For further information please click www.equalityni.org
Interdepartmental Business Register
The IDBR is a comprehensive business register which contains information on all businesses in the UK which are VAT registered or operating a PAYE scheme. It does not include very small businesses which fall below the VAT and PAYE thresholds.
The IDBR is used by Government for statistical purposes. It provides a sampling frame for surveys of businesses carried out by the Office for National Statistics and by other Government departments. It is also a key data source for analyses of business activity.
The register uses data from 3 main sources:
•Value Added Tax (VAT)
Detail of businesses registered for VAT.
Provided by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) daily.
•Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
Details of employers with employees in PAYE schemes.
Provided by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) quarterly.
•National Statistics Surveys based on the IDBR
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
Northern Ireland is included in the UK element of the European Labour Costs Survey. The survey is carried out every 4 years. Labour costs refer to the expenditure by employers in order to employ workers. Information on the structure of labour costs, the profile by industry and Northern Ireland’s position relative to other UK regions is included.
Estimates are produced by combining information from existing sources to reduce the cost and burden to businesses of running a dedicated survey.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
The Labour Force Survey is a continuous household survey carried out quarterly. The UK is obliged under EC regulations to carry out a Labour Force Survey, using internationally agreed definitions of unemployment, employment and economic activity. Results can be compared with other EU member states.
The main purpose of the survey is to provide information on the labour market, including employment, unemployment and economic activity rates. It also covers a range of related topics, such as income, qualifications, training and disability.
The theoretical sample for each quarter consists of around 3,250 addresses, made up of five ‘waves', each containing approximately 650 private households.
The sample of addresses for the LFS is obtained from the Valuation & Lands Agency list of domestic properties in Northern Ireland.
At each address, information is collected by computer-assisted interviewing on the economic status and activity of all residents aged 16 and over during a specified week in the quarter (termed the reference week). Household size and composition is also recorded for each address.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
This is an annual inquiry into businesses within Northern Ireland Production, Construction and Service Sector Industries. Information provided includes labour costs, total turnover, employment levels and employment costs.
1000+ businesses are surveyed annually from the Interdepartmental Business Register.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
The series has been used as a main indicator of labour market activity since the 1970's and figures are derived from records of claimants held at Social Security Offices. The Claimant Count records the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits. Data are disseminated by age, duration, geography and occupation. Figures are derived on a monthly basis from records of claimants held at Social Security Offices.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
The survey has its roots in the NI Social Attitudes Survey which ran from 1989 to 1996. The survey aims to put on record the attitudes, values and beliefs of the people in Northern Ireland on a wide range of social policy issues.
The survey is run every year. The 2004 survey involved 1,800 face-to-face interviews with adults aged 18+ years. Main interviews were conducted using computer-assisted interviewing and respondents were also asked to complete a self-completion questionnaire.
For further information please click
This survey is carried out on a regular basis and is designed to provide a snapshot of the lifestyle and views of the people of Northern Ireland. Information on employment is included. A sample of 2,200 addresses is drawn from the Valuation and Lands Agency list of addresses. People living in institutions (though not in private households in such institutions) are excluded.
The Valuation and Lands Agency list does not contain information about the number of people living at an address. Further selection stages are therefore required to obtain a listing of individuals. One person is chosen to complete the questionnaire.
For further information please click www.nisra.gov.uk
This survey provides short-term employee jobs estimates for Northern Ireland on a quarterly basis. Data are available for full-time, part-time, male and female employees. The main changes in the number of employee jobs by SIC are provided. It includes longitudinal data for the number of employee jobs, self-employment jobs and workforce jobs in Northern Ireland.
The Interdepartmental Business Register is used as the sampling frame. It is a postal survey but employers have the option of completing their return online.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
Under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 companies are legally required to notify the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment of impending redundancies of 20 or more employees. While the figures provided are likely to be an underestimate of total job losses, it is not possible to quantify the extent of the shortfall. Subject to the criteria mentioned above, employers must notify the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment of (a) redundancies proposed and (b) redundancies confirmed.
This is a manual return. Forms are available to download but submissions cannot be made online.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk
Information collected by this survey is used to assess whether people have paid the correct amount of tax. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collects information about people who could be liable to UK tax.
The sample survey is based on information held by HMRC tax offices on persons who could be liable to UK tax. It is carried out annually and covers the income assessable for tax in each tax year.
For further information please click www.hmrc.gov.uk
The Claimant Count has been used as a main indicator of labour market activity since the 1970’s. The Northern Ireland Claimant Count is a measure of the number of persons claiming unemployment related benefit (Job Seekers Allowance).
Jobs and Benefits offices make computerised returns to the Office for National Statistics. Data are then made available to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
For further information please click www.detini.gov.uk