According to the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland Growth Tracker, there has been robust output growth in Northern Ireland for the past three months.

"The Northern Ireland private sector completed a full quarter leading the pack in terms of output growth in September," stated Sebastian Burnside, chief economist at NatWest.

"This is an impressive feat for an economy that was struggling deep in contraction territory this time last year."

Upskilling the workforce in Northern Ireland, he claimed, would help businesses make sure that work was done on schedule.

All things considered, the headline business activity index rose from 55.7 in August to a four-month high of 56.0 in September.

Among the 12 UK regions and countries under observation, the rapid increase was also the fastest. The industries with the biggest activity gains in September were manufacturing and services.