People in Belfast have the third best work-life balance of all cities in the UK, according to an annual report by PwC.
The 'Good Growth Index' bases its rankings on the public's assessment of 12 economic measures, including jobs, health, income, safety and skills, as well as work-life balance, housing, travel-to-work times, income equality, high street shops, environment and business startups.
Belfast fell one position from last year, down from eighth to ninth out of the 51 UK cities featured.
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It scored highly overall with a rating of 0.44 against the UK average of 0.17, meaning it performed above the average public perception of other UK cities.
The report's results imply that housing is perceived as more affordable than in other UK regions, as Belfast has the fourth lowest house price to earnings ratio of all cities in the index.
The areas in which the public felt Belfast fell below average were high street and shops in particular, then for new businesses and the environment.
Health also saw the biggest decrease in public perception since last year's report, perhaps no surprise given the myriad challenges facing the health service in Northern Ireland.
Cat McCusker, regional market leader for PwC Northern Ireland, said: "It’s great to see Belfast continue to perform so well in the Good Growth for Cities Index.
"Our analysis shows people here are prioritising work-life balance more than in previous years as post-pandemic changes to working patterns allow people greater flexibility, greater control over working location and support better work-life balance. As a result, this is helping to unlock good growth."
However, the report calls for further changes to allow Belfast's economy to reach its potential.
Jason Calvert, economist and place & purpose co-leader for PwC NI, said: "There needs to be a continued focus on longer-term levers for economic growth here, including stimulating investment, getting more people into work, and underpinning all of this with support for skills and education.
"The issues and opportunities are complex, and no one organisation or type of organisation can tackle them successfully on their own.
"Rather, the business community needs to work alongside government and other stakeholders to drive sustainable change through meaningful collaboration on policy, strategy, and business planning.
"The Belfast Region City Deal is an example of our existing excellence and ‘can do’ attitude which makes us so unique. The City Deal is a catalyst for business growth through research and development, with critical investment in five university-led innovation and research centres already in the pipeline."
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