Key drivers of fair employment in Northern Ireland 

The Equality Commission has hosted a ´Round Table´ event to examine the drivers of fair employment in Northern Ireland. A paper entitled ´Fair Employment and Treatment: Legislation , Ongoing Work and Key Patterns and Trends´ was issued in advance of the event for invited guests for consideration.

The event was designed to hear from and be informed by, a range of views of academics, researchers and experts who have a particular interest in the area of fair employment. The Commission will use the ideas, opinions and information from the event to assist in taking the work of ´fair employment´ forward.

The event began with a number of presentations:

The Community Composition of available Labour
Alan McClelland, OFMdFM Research




Changing Population Dynamics - recent and future trends on those available for work
David Marshall, NISRA Demographics



Impact of Economic Downturn on Community Composition of Employment within, and across, Industrial sectors and Occupations
Ron McQuaid, Employment Research Institute, Edinburgh


Looking forward: Economic Outlook, Industrial Restructuring and Potential Impact on Future Employment patterns
Michael Smyth (University of Ulster)

The presentations were followed by a discussion which provided a range of diverse opinions and interesting ideas.