Northern Ireland unemployment rate: aged 16 to 64
Northern Ireland unemployment rate: aged 16 to 64 stood at 2.2% in Mar 2026, according to Nomis — official labour market statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market structure table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Dec 2004 to Mar 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market structure table
| Indicator | 03-2026 | 12-2025 | 09-2025 | 06-2025 | 03-2025 | 12-2024 | 09-2024 | 06-2024 | 03-2024 | 12-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, aged 16 to 64 | |||||||||||
| Northern Ireland | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.2 | |
| United Kingdom | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
Understanding northern Ireland unemployment rate: aged 16 to 64
Measuring joblessness among working-age inhabitants in the devolved territory, this metric establishes the ratio of individuals without employment who are currently seeking and ready to work relative to the active labour pool. Unlike inactivity figures, which capture those outside the workforce entirely, this calculation targets only participants who want employment. The underlying survey framework applies identical definitions across all regions to ensure methodological consistency, separating this regional share from administrative benefit claimant counts.
Interpreting this series requires allowance for survey sampling variability, which tends to be magnified at smaller geographic scales compared with the national total. Observers should avoid over-interpreting single-period movements caused by survey timing or sample rotation. Comparing corresponding periods across successive years offers a clearer picture of change by bypassing regular seasonal hiring and academic graduation cycles.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this series derived from administrative benefit records?
- No, it is calculated from household survey interviews rather than benefit claimant registers.
- Why can single-month or single-quarter changes be misleading?
- Smaller regional sample sizes generate higher volatility, meaning individual data points can be influenced by sampling noise.
- What availability requirement applies to respondents in this count?
- Unemployed individuals must be able to start a job within two weeks of the survey interview.