Northern Ireland employment rises as median monthly pay reaches £2,508
Northern Ireland employment figures have increased over the past year, with median monthly earnings reaching £2,508, according to official labour market statistics published on Tuesday 20 October.
Figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that 820,600 people were receiving pay through HMRC’s Pay As You Earn system in September 2026.
This represents an increase of 0.9% compared with September 2025 and a monthly increase of 0.1%.
Median monthly earnings also increased by £83 over the year, representing a rise of 3.4%.
However, the figures are not adjusted for inflation, meaning the increase does not necessarily represent an improvement in workers’ purchasing power.
Northern Ireland unemployment rate stands at 2.1%
The latest Labour Force Survey estimated Northern Ireland’s unemployment rate at 2.1% for the period June to August 2026.
This represents an increase of 0.3 percentage points compared with the previous quarter but a decrease of 0.3 percentage points over the year.
The employment rate among people aged 16 to 64 increased to 72.5%, up 1.3 percentage points annually.
The total number of people aged 16 and over in employment was estimated at 908,000, an increase of approximately 21,000 compared with the same period last year.
NISRA stressed that the changes in employment, unemployment and economic inactivity recorded by the Labour Force Survey were not statistically significant.
Median monthly earnings increase to £2,508
HMRC payroll data indicated that median monthly earnings reached £2,508 in September.
This represents an increase of £13 compared with August and £83 compared with September 2025.
The annual increase of 3.4% reflects earnings growth before taking account of inflation.
NISRA cautioned that the latest payroll estimates are based on preliminary information and may be revised as additional data becomes available.
Economic inactivity decreases
The proportion of working-age people classified as economically inactive decreased to 25.9%.
This represents a reduction of 0.6 percentage points over the quarter and 1.1 percentage points over the year.
Economic inactivity includes people who are neither employed nor actively seeking or available for work.
Meanwhile, the total number of weekly hours worked across Northern Ireland was estimated at 28.4 million.
This represents a decrease of 3.8% compared with the previous quarter and 0.9% compared with the same period last year.
Claimant count remains relatively stable
The seasonally adjusted claimant count stood at 32,700 in September 2026, equivalent to 3.2% of the workforce.
This represents a decrease of 0.6% compared with August.
However, the claimant count remains 9.6% higher than its pre-pandemic level in March 2020.
The claimant count includes people receiving unemployment-related benefits and is not directly comparable with the official unemployment rate.
Confirmed redundancies fall over the year
The latest figures also indicate a reduction in confirmed redundancies.
A total of 310 redundancies were confirmed during September, bringing the annual total to 1,570.
This compares with 2,350 confirmed redundancies during the previous 12-month period.
Meanwhile, 210 proposed redundancies were reported during September.
The annual total of proposed redundancies reached 2,920, broadly similar to the previous year’s figure of 2,910.
NISRA cautioned that redundancy figures may underestimate total job losses because employers proposing fewer than 20 redundancies are generally not required to notify the Department.
Next labour market update
The latest figures indicate continued annual growth in payroll employment and nominal earnings, although survey-based changes in the wider labour market remain statistically uncertain.
NISRA’s next Labour Market Report is scheduled for publication on Tuesday 17 November 2026.
External link: NISRA Labour Market Report — October 2026