According to the most recent HMRC data, the percentage of the population in employment was 71.3%, the highest since the epidemic, but still far lower than the 74.3% rate in the UK.

The rate of economic inactivity, which measures the proportion of persons neither working nor seeking for employment (such as students, caretakers, or unwell), was 27%.

It has decreased by 0.1% in a year. Nonetheless, Northern Ireland's percentage remains far higher than the UK average (22.3%).

“Long-term sick” was the most frequent cause of economic inactivity, accounting for 126,000 cases, or 39.7%, of all economically inactive people.

There were the same number of NI residents employed by companies last month as there were in April.

There were 801,800 workers on corporate payrolls in May, the most growth of any UK area and 1.6% more than in the same period the previous year.
180 redundancies happened in May, according to NISRA.

Although they increased last month, Northern Ireland's paychecks are still the lowest of any UK province. In May, the average monthly salary in Northern Ireland was £2,217, indicating a rise of £141 or 6.8% over the previous 12 months.

It is still less than the average monthly wage in the UK, which was £2,379 in May. Of the 12 UK areas, Northern Ireland continues to have the lowest income, but it has also had the most growth over the past 12 months.