New dimensions of inequality in Northern Ireland, 1998–2020

Figures & data

Table 1. Percentage Employed in Key Sectors by NACE Industry Sector Codes (1974-2018). Source: Quarterly Employment Survey Historical Tables.⁹

	1974	1985	1996	2007	2018
Manufacturing (C)	32.8	20.8	17.6	11.7	11.28
Construction (F)	8.0	5.8	4.0	6.2	4.4
Retail (G)	12.3	13.5	15.3	17.4	16.9
Accomm. and Food Service (I)	1.8	2.9	4.9	6.0	6.6
Finance, Real Estate (K-L)	2.1	2.4	2.7	3.9	3.6
Scientific (M)	1	1.5	2.3	3.2	4.4
Admin Support Services (N)	1.6	2.1	3.5	5.4	7.2
Public services (O-Q)*	26.0	37.0	37.0	34.0	32.1
Arts, Ent, Rec. (R)	.9	1.5	1.8	1.9	2.0

*Category includes Administration, Education, and Health.

Figure 1. Comparative Wage Shares, 1960-2020. * Northern Ireland’s wage share is expressed as a percentage of Gross Value Added.⁷

Table 2. Debt to Income Ratio by Country (2015)*.

Country	Debt to Income Ratio (DTI, %)
Denmark	294.9
Rep. of Ireland	168.3
Canada	166.2
Northern Ireland	158.2**
United Kingdom	142.7
Japan	126.6
United States	105.6
France	100.6
Greece	99.8
Germany	85.4

Table 3. Pre-crisis over-indebtedness thresholds by Income Quintile (2007).

Income Band	Over-Indebted DSI (%) Levels^10	Median Monthly Income (GBP)	Monthly Repayments DSI > 25% (GBP)^11	% households over-indebted^12
Quintile 1	20	937	234	20.9%
Quintile 2	25	1583	396	12.4%
Quintile 3	30	2144	536	10.3%
Quintile 4	35	2919	730	10.3%
Quintile 5	40	5433	1358	10.7%

*‘Debt’ is household total debt including mortgages, as percentage of annual net household income.

**Author’s own calculations using British Banker’s Association data for total household debt, NINIS total number of NI households and NISRA average disposable household income.

Figure 2. Median Income Difference by Category, Northern Ireland (2017). Source: U.K. Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society).⁸

Figure 3. Median Income Difference by Category, United Kingdom (2017). Source: U.K. Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society).