Sustainable and gender equitable investment in Northern Ireland examined
Northern Ireland has been chronically underinvested in; Foreign Direct Investment per worker is lower than any other part of the UK – a figure that dopped almost 25% from 2017 to 2019, the most recent figure we have. UK Government funding is also lower per head than any other UK nation.
Partly as a result of this trend, people in Northern Ireland often do not have the qualifications necessary to take up the kind of roles available, and younger people are moving away to seek opportunity.
In written evidence to the Committee, the NI Women’s Budget Group, who’ll be represented at the session, pointed out that any investment must create better jobs broadly including in the care sector in which women are overrepresented and cash for STEM careers should also cater for those with caring responsibilities.
Likely areas of questioning
Witnesses are likely to be asked:
- where opportunities to grow a sustainable and more equal economy in line with the Government’s net zero ambition and the Executive’s 10X Economy visions lie
- how to address the skills gap and youth retention
- what the impact of Stormont’s shut down will have on the delivery of investments
- about the expected effect of the loss of EU funding and its replacement by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund