Debate contribution: Economic Trends on the Island of Ireland

Debate contribution by Miss Deirdre Hargey on 26 January 2026.

MLA

Miss Deirdre Hargey

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

26 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Economic Trends on the Island of Ireland

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5340384

Read the official Assembly record

Text

It is nice to see that Sinn Féin is in the frontal lobe of the SDLP's brain today. I thank the proposer of the motion and add my support. The ESRI report, which is the first to consider annual economic surveys and to assess economic trends across Ireland, using comparable data, is good, and it would be good for everybody to look at it and, importantly, to learn from it for policy formation.

This is a significant development. It is the first time that policymakers across our island will have access to a shared and consistent evidence base on economic output, labour markets, incomes, living standards and public finances. That matters because good decisions depend on good data, and, until now, such data simply did not exist in a comparable form. The findings are positive, but they also, obviously, highlight challenges and areas for future work and collaboration. Both economies record a solid growth in-year until the second quarter of 2025. Economic output in the North grew by 2·8% and in the South by 3·2%. In an uncertain global environment and amid political instability, that points to a resilient all-island economy and suggests that, when we work together, that can translate into positive outcomes and results for our workers, our communities and the economy. I know that Diana highlighted the area of Brexit, but, since as far back as the financial crash of 2008, there have been economic shocks every couple of years. It is important that we use such research and surveys to mitigate those shocks. When you look around the world at the moment, you can tell that the shocks will continue, and, obviously, they all have an impact on our economy. For that reason, the research is important, and we must use it to collaborate and mitigate those future shocks. The labour market stands out as a particular strength. Employment is at a near-historic high across the island, with 20,600 jobs added to the North and 64,000 to the South. Strong participation rates show continued demand for workers and underline the importance of skills and workforce planning. The report also provides a clear, evidence-based picture of incomes and living standards and confirms that average earnings and households' disposable incomes are higher in the South, reflecting the differences in productivity, sectoral mix and, of course, wage structures. Those are areas that the Economy Minister is addressing through her economic vision and not least through her progressive "good jobs" Bill, which will focus on creating good and well-paid jobs and, importantly, will protect employment rights and workers' rights. A lot of people have talked about that, but I am keen to find out, when the workers' rights Bill comes to the Chamber, where people will stand. Will they stand for protecting workers, enhancing trade union rights and representation and growing our local economy, or will they stand against those things? We will wait and see. Importantly, the survey also identifies shared policy priorities across the island, ranging from supporting SMEs to addressing skills shortages and managing the transition to a low-carbon economy. That alignment highlights real opportunities for cooperation across all those areas. For the North, the implications are clear: the report strengthens our ability to plan strategically and makes the case for investment in design policies grounded in the robust evidence that has been presented. It also reminds us that, without sustained action on areas around productivity, infrastructure and skills, existing gaps in living standards may widen. Ultimately, the survey is not just about statistics but about better jobs, higher incomes and improved opportunities for all our people and communities, particularly, as has been highlighted, in the border and regional areas such as the north-west and west of the Bann that, let us face it, through the policies of Executives and Governments in the North since partition were deliberately and politically marginalised and sidelined from economic opportunities. The ESRI annual survey provides a foundation for more informed debate, better policy-making and stronger cooperation, and it is a resource that we should all fully use. It is about coordination and planning across our island and about good alignment, but, importantly, it is also about better outcomes for our people, our communities and an economy that works for those things —

— and not against them.

716 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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