Cross Border Commuting Increases for Ireland and Northern Ireland

• Health, education, manufacturing and retail remain key employment sectors in both jurisdictions.
• Cross border workers remain a small proportion of the population but flows from Northern Ireland to Ireland have grown significantly since 2011.

Cross Border Commuting trends

“This Skills Insight Note provides valuable analysis of the labour market links and shared challenges between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The findings underline the importance of collaboration in skills development, particularly as both economies adapt to technological and demographic change. Understanding these cross?border dynamics strengthens our ability to plan effectively for enterprise growth, employment and long?term competitiveness.”

“I would like to thank the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) for producing this valuable Skills Insights Note examining cross?border skills and labour market commonalities between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The findings clearly demonstrate the strong links that exist across the two jurisdictions, including shared skills priorities, sectoral strengths and growing levels of cross?border commuting. This research highlights how closely connected our labour markets are, and the opportunities that exist to address shared skills challenges through cooperation and coordinated policy approaches.”