Skip to main content

Employer National Insurance Contributions: Job Creation

Volume 760: debated on Wednesday 15 January 2025

8. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed increases in employers’ national insurance contributions on job creation in Northern Ireland. (902096)

There are many pressures on businesses that we are constantly assessing and talking to businesses about. The hon. Member is right to raise the subject of job creation in Northern Ireland; it is a priority for this Government. We are supporting businesses in many ways, including through Invest Northern Ireland’s fund for small businesses, and by directly supporting jobseekers through our funding for employment support schemes.

I am grateful for the warm welcome. How does the Minister expect businesses in Northern Ireland to grow and invest in their communities, given that they have to pay the enormous tax increases imposed by the Chancellor?

Even after accounting for employer national insurance contribution impacts, the Office for Budget Responsibility expects real wages to rise by 3%. Raising the revenue to fill the £22 billion black hole required us to take difficult decisions, but they will result in improved public services, which is good for all people in Northern Ireland.