The accredited official statistics release for the Quarterly Employment Survey: December 2026 sets out short-term estimates of employee jobs in Northern Ireland. Published on GOV.UK, the update is part of the regular reporting used to monitor changes in employment over the quarter.
The survey is designed to provide a timely picture of employee jobs in Northern Ireland rather than a broader measure of the entire labour market. That makes it a useful source for tracking short-term movement in jobs and understanding how employment levels are changing over time.
The release also has a wider role beyond Northern Ireland. Its estimates are supplied to the Office for National Statistics, which uses the data in compiling quarterly workforce jobs figures for the UK as a whole.
Because the publication is classed as accredited official statistics, it forms part of the official evidence base used by policymakers, analysts and businesses following labour market conditions. The December 2026 edition continues that quarterly series with updated employee jobs estimates for Northern Ireland.
