The requested breakdown of the working age population in Northern Ireland can be found in the following table. It shows that during the period March-May 1997 to March-May 2005, the working population in NI increased by 59,000, with the proportion of those in employment increasing and the proportion unemployed falling. The proportion in full-time education also showed a slight increase, whereas there was a marginal fall in the proportion who were economically inactive but not in full-time education.
Percentage Reference period2 Working age population In Employment Full-time education3 Unemployed Economically inactive (not in full-time education) 1997 989,000 66.4 8.4 5.5 21.5 1998 997,000 66.9 8.3 5.3 21.6 1999 1,002,000 66.5 9.1 5.3 21.2 2000 1,009,000 64.8 9.3 5.0 22.8 2001 1,018,000 66.9 8.9 4.5 21.8 2002 1,026,000 67.2 9.9 3.9 21.4 2003 1,034,000 69.3 9.2 3.9 20.3 2004 1,041,000 66.6 10.1 3.4 22.2 2005 1,048,000 68.0 9.7 3.4 21.2 1 The working age population refers to ages 16-59 for females and 16-64 for males. 2 Figures relate to the period March to May of each year. 3 It is possible for persons to be counted under the full-time education category and also under the ‘In employment’ or ‘Unemployed’ categories e.g. if a full-time student also has a part-time job. The categories are therefore not mutually exclusive and will total to a figure in excess of 100 per cent. Source: NI Labour Force Survey.
The following table gives the population estimates and proportion of the total population for the year 2004, and projections for the years 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015, for the Northern Ireland population aged 18 to 64 years, and 65 years and over.
Aged 18 to 64 years Aged 65 years and over Proportion aged 18 to 64 years (Percentage) Proportion aged 65 years and over (Percentage) 20041 1,039,400 233,400 61 14 20072 1,072,800 243,900 62 14 20092 1,083,500 255,600 62 15 20102 1,088,700 261,300 62 15 20152 1,103,400 293,700 62 16 1 Estimate 2 Projection