Northern Ireland facing shortage of 5k workers a year

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Northern Ireland facing shortage of 5k workers a year

Northern Ireland needs over 5,000 more workers a year in order to grow the economy, a report has suggested.

Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre has published a report which looks at what future skills employers will need and potential supply gaps.

It has forecast a high growth scenario which would see the creation of 8,000 new jobs a year for the next 10 years.

But it has also highlighted a shortage of 5,440 workers a year which, if not addressed, could hold back economic growth.

‘High value’ jobs in demand

The report says this reflects the need to tackle economically inactivity, those people who are not in work nor looking for a job including long term sick, as well as increasing the migrant labour supply.

The fastest growing occupations in terms of demand are “high value ” jobs such as roles in data analytics, cyber security and IT.

These roles have typically higher wages, higher levels of productivity and require a higher level of qualification.

The health sector is expected to see the largest absolute growth due to its size and expected additional government spending to address longer-term strain on the health service.

Care workers and home carers are expected to increase employment by over 4,000 over the next decade – that is the largest absolute increase across all occupations.

In contrast, employment growth is forecast to be flat in retail due to trends including the increased use of automation and the rise of online shopping.

Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald said the report highlights the “long-term challenge posed by our ageing population”.

She continued: “The number of young people coming into the labour market isn’t enough to meet the increased demand for jobs.

“The shortfall is such that an undersupply of people is anticipated at all skill levels. Given that Brexit has limited our ability to recruit from the EU, it is all the more important to help people who face barriers to work or training into employment.

“The traditional answer is upskilling people who are out of work, and that remains important. But it is also vital to support people once they are in employment.”

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