New research into low-paid work in Northern Ireland has been published by the Department for the Economy, with Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald using its findings to underscore the case for her flagship employment rights legislation. The report, Working Life on Low Pay in Northern Ireland: Evidence from the Working in Ireland Survey 2025, examines how unpredictable hours, employment insecurity and limited workplace protections compound financial hardship for low-income workers.
The publication comes as the Minister’s ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill remains stalled at Executive level, with the legislation—intended to be the most significant upgrade of Northern Ireland’s employment law since devolution—yet to reach the Assembly more than 18 months after consultation closed in September 2024.
What the research found
The study, authored by researchers from the Nevin Economic Research Institute and University College Dublin, draws on the Working in Ireland Survey 2025—a repeat of a similar all-Ireland survey conducted in 2021. The survey covered over 4,000 workers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, examining pay alongside wider dimensions of job quality.
According to the Department’s summary, the research identifies four key patterns:
- Low weekly earnings remain widespread in Northern Ireland
- Working hours are a key driver of low pay—not just hourly rates
- Certain groups face a higher risk of low pay
- Low pay is concentrated in specific sectors and locations
However, the press release provides no specific statistics, percentages, or data points from the actual research. The full report is available via the Working in Ireland Survey website.
The Minister’s response
Dr Archibald, who was appointed Economy Minister in February 2025 following a Sinn Féin reshuffle, welcomed the findings and linked them directly to her legislative agenda. She said:
“This important research provides valuable new evidence about the realities of low-paid work in the north. It demonstrates that tackling low pay is not solely about hourly wage rates. The security, predictability and availability of working hours, access to employment protections, opportunities for progression and the wider quality of people’s working lives are also vitally important.
“I am committed to creating a fairer and more productive workplace right across the north, and the ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill I have brought to the Executive, is a major step towards that goal. By strengthening employment protections and promoting fair and secure work, these reforms will support the creation of more Good Jobs across the north.”
The Minister also urged employers to sign up as accredited Living Wage employers, noting:
“Everyone should have the opportunity to access secure, fairly paid and fulfilling work and my proposed legislation will play a key role in supporting low-income families and ensuring fairer working conditions for employees.”
Status of the Good Jobs Bill
Dr Archibald’s reference to having “brought” the Bill to the Executive refers to her written ministerial statement of 28 April 2025, rather than a new development. In that statement, she confirmed she had written to the Executive seeking endorsement for her proposals, with the aim of translating them into law “within the two years left in this mandate.”
The Bill’s progress has since faltered. By January 2026, the Minister confirmed to the Assembly’s Economy Committee that the full legislation would not be published as planned, with officials estimating it would not be available until March or April 2026. According to the Employers Federation, as of September 2026 the Bill “seems to have stalled at Executive level and has not yet progressed to the Assembly.”
The proposed reforms include:
- Restrictions on zero-hours contracts through a banded-hours model
- Prohibition on exclusivity clauses
- Restrictions on “fire and rehire” practices
- Enhanced trade union access rights, including digital access
- Reduction in trade union recognition thresholds from 21 to 10 employees
- Day one flexible working rights
- Introduction of Carers’ Leave and Neonatal Leave
Gaps in the published findings
The Department’s announcement leaves several important questions unanswered. The research summary does not identify which specific groups face higher low-pay risk, which sectors or locations show the greatest concentration, or what proportion of workers are affected by unpredictable hours versus low hourly rates.
This distinction between low hourly pay and low weekly earnings is significant. A worker on a decent hourly rate but with insufficient hours can face the same financial hardship as someone on the minimum wage. The research appears to treat these as interconnected problems, but without published data, readers cannot assess the relative scale of each issue.
The term “the north”—used throughout the Minister’s quotes and the Department’s materials—refers to Northern Ireland. This phrasing reflects Sinn Féin’s preferred terminology but may require clarification for readers unfamiliar with local political conventions.
Living Wage context
The Minister’s call for employers to seek Living Wage accreditation is not a new policy announcement. The Real Living Wage—currently £13.45 per hour across the UK, compared to the statutory National Living Wage of £12.71 for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026—is a voluntary standard administered by the Living Wage Foundation.
According to Department figures from March 2026, accredited employers in Northern Ireland have risen from 82 to 212 over two years, benefiting over 5,000 workers with annual pay uplifts. However, Northern Ireland still has the second highest rate of employees paid below the Living Wage among UK regions.
Questions for policymakers
- Why has the Good Jobs Bill stalled at Executive level, and what specific objections or delays are preventing its progression to the Assembly?
- Which demographic groups, employment sectors and geographic areas does the research identify as having the highest concentration of low-paid work?
- What proportion of low weekly earnings stems from insufficient hours versus low hourly rates, and how would the proposed banded-hours contracts address this?
- Given the research was conducted in summer 2025, why was publication delayed until October 2026, and will the Department commit to releasing the underlying data more promptly in future?
- How does the Minister plan to build Executive consensus for employment reforms that have faced “strong challenge from employers” around trade union access provisions?
What to watch
The Good Jobs Bill remains the Minister’s central legislative priority, but time is pressing. The current Assembly mandate ends in May 2027, and primary legislation typically requires months of Committee scrutiny and potential amendment. If the Bill does not reach the Assembly before spring 2027, it risks falling entirely—along with its provisions on zero-hours contracts, flexible working, and enhanced family leave.
Meanwhile, other employment reforms are proceeding separately. Regulations extending parental bereavement leave to cover miscarriage took effect in April 2026, and the long-awaited Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act—providing 10 days’ paid leave for affected employees—is expected to commence before the mandate ends.
Readers can access the full research at workinginirelandsurvey.com and find information on Living Wage accreditation through Advice NI.