Government funding totalling £30 million has been set aside to get the large proportion of people in Northern Ireland not actively looking for work into the labour market.
Provided by the departments for both economy and communities under the New Deal initiative, the money will be used to address the economic inactivity rate, those of working age who have not sought work and are not available to work. According to NISRA, it is generally made up of students, people looking after family and home, long-term sick and disabled, temporarily sick and disabled, retired people and discouraged workers.
Northern Ireland’s economic inactivity rate has remained the highest of all UK regions for the last 15 years. It peaked at 31% in 2009 at the peak of the financial crisis, much higher than the UK average peak of 24%, and although it has come down to 25.8% in the latest reading, it is still above the UK average of 21%.
