The Department for the Economy’s recent focus on ‘good jobs’ and the ongoing need to address high levels of economic inactivity in Northern Ireland has put a spotlight on barriers to work and job quality.
High levels of economic inactivity have been a feature of the NI economy for many years and although the female rate has been declining over the last decade it remains consistently higher than the male rate. Women are less likely to be in any form of paid work than men and when they do undertake paid work are more likely to be in part-time and precarious or ‘low-quality’ work.
Women’s experiences of the labour market vary widely based on the impact of having dependent children, unpaid care responsibilities and existing gender stereotypes around education, training and employment.
In December 2024 the Women’s Regional Consortium published research into Women, Skills and Barriers to Work which looked at the barriers women face to getting into work, what could help them overcome them and what women think are good jobs.
The findings of the research clearly show that women often face multiple barriers to getting work and in trying to access the education and skills they need to get ‘good jobs’. These barriers most commonly relate to the structural inequalities women face particularly around the provision of care and illness/disability. The research showed the following barriers:
62% reported being out of work due to childcare related issues;
43% reported sickness/ill health/disability;
38% said they needed education/training/skills;
30% reported a lack of confidence;
30% said a lack of flexible working opportunities;
25% said there weren’t enough suitable jobs;
22% reported unpaid care responsibilities;
20% said a fear of coming off benefits and being worse off in low-paid work;
20% reported the cost/availability of transport.
“It started off with childcare, then illness and then the kids have additional needs. My biggest barrier now is my own confidence after getting out of a domestic violence situation.”
“If you’ve no childcare you can’t do nothing, you can’t train, you can’t go to work if you’ve no one to mind your kids.”
“You don’t know how you are from one day to the next. There’s classes I’ve missed because I didn’t know if I could get out of bed, that’s the way it is with mental health.”
The women who took part in the research reported a range of things that would help them get back to work or into education/training including more jobs with flexible working, better supports for illness/disability, flexible/affordable childcare, more ‘good jobs’, cheaper/more accessible transport and more skills and training opportunities in accessible venues.
“Employers need to be flexible for me to work – flexibility in hours and understanding that there will be days where I won’t be able to attend and that I would then be able to make up those hours afterwards. There will be days where I just physically can’t come to work because of my illness.”
The women were unanimous in their views that ‘good jobs’ were flexible, well paid and had good working conditions; including the availability of family friendly policies to allow them to juggle their work with their home lives. These asks are not excessive or unachievable with the provision of greater flexibility, more investment in skills, better pay and favourable conditions of work.
“A good job has flexible working hours to fit around caring responsibilities, sufficient wage to cover your bills, transport and the ability to work from home.”
“A good job is one that pays the Living Wage and you have some flexibility in it and you can afford the essentials.”
The research report made a number of recommendations to help women address the barriers they face including:
accessible, affordable childcare;
improving access to education and learning opportunities for people with disabilities;
improving access to mental health support services;
actions by government and employers to provide ‘good jobs’;
long-term sustainable funding for community education.
Addressing the barriers women face in accessing and staying in the labour market and investing in ‘good jobs’ is critical for ensuring women’s economic participation and financial wellbeing, tackling labour shortages and supporting economic growth. It would have significant benefits for women, their families, communities and the economy.
“If the Government were to put more money into childcare they would have more women out working. It absolutely would make a difference having cheaper childcare. I have twins and it just doesn’t pay you to do it. You’re working to pay your childcare costs and you’ve nothing left.”
“Lots of people are struggling with their mental health, there are not enough places helping with mental health. Loads of people have lost their jobs and need help and counselling to get into work. It’s so needed but there’s no money for it.”
You can read the full Women, Skills & Barriers to Work research paper on the Women’s Regional Consortium website here:
Or you can read a shorter summary of the research here: