Member's statement: Growing the Regional Economy
Member's statement by Mr Declan Kearney on .
- MLA
- Mr Declan Kearney
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 17 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Growing the Regional Economy
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4802360
Read the official Assembly record
Text
A recent report from Ulster University's Economic Policy Centre suggests that the North will need between 5,000 and 8,000 additional workers every year for the next 10 years in order to grow the regional economy. Failure to address any of the barriers to work or job training that are cited in the report will threaten the forecast potential economic growth. Long-term economic inactivity and retaining highly trained students and skilled workers are just some of the challenges that we will face in the coming years. The solution must be based on a well-compensated, well-trained and secure workforce, with strong workers' rights and protections built into law. The 'good jobs' employment rights Bill that will progress through the Assembly in the coming months is an opportunity to shape our workforce in relation to the high-growth scenario that is forecast by the university. A good jobs programme will be integral to a productive, fair and competitive economy. There needs to be a regional economic base that ensures that workers are paid fair wages and are guaranteed secure employment that provides workers and their families with a good standard of living. The 'good jobs' Bill will be the most progressive employment legislation ever introduced in the North. With cross-party support, it can help to build a strong and productive workforce for the future, with workers' rights, union recognition and collective bargaining at its core. That is the best foundation for growth and productivity in the all-island and global economies. Crucially, it will also reward workers and families, trade unions and employers, and local businesses.
261 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.98 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.01 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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