NI Chamber’s Chief Executive, Suzanne Wylie has said that the Economy Minister’s draft ‘Good Jobs’ and Employment Bill will be “one of most significant pieces of legislation for employers in this Assembly mandate.”
Addressing the membership organisation’s second annual Future Workforce Summit in Titanic Belfast, where more than 300 business leaders gathered to discuss solutions to the unique people and skills challenges of the region, she said:
“With so many economic levers resting with the Westminster government, Northern Ireland is unique as the only region where employment law is devolved, so we must use the passage of the Good Jobs and Employment Bill to our advantage in creating an attractive, competitive and sustainable proposition for both financial investment and talent.
“The concept of ‘good jobs’ has also provoked a wider conversation in the business community that we welcome. At its core, is the long-debated issue of skills and learning. The Future Workforce Summit is therefore a timely event, which is about coalescing around solutions to skills and learning challenges, which must be addressed if we’re to unlock sustainable economic growth.”
At the event, NI Chamber also launched its call for a new, independent Workforce Development Agency for Northern Ireland which it says would serve as a focal point for workforce development, ensuring that employers and educational institutions are aligned in delivering the critical skills necessary for a competitive and sustainable workforce. It follows the establishment of Skills England by the new UK Government, as well as the success of Skillnet Ireland, whose CEO Paul Healy will address today’s Summit.
In addition, the Chamber unpacked its proposals for a new All-Island Mobility Taskforce to improve cross-border labour mobility across the island of Ireland, which its CEO Suzanne Wylie says could have ‘considerable long-term impact’, if left unaddressed.
To address the challenge directly, NI Chamber has called for the establishment of an All-Island Mobility Task Force in partnership with the NI Executive, the Irish and UK Governments. Its proposed remit would be to enable the movement of skilled workers, helping to alleviate labour shortages and ensuring that Northern Ireland businesses have access to the talent they need.
Gordon Parkes, Executive Director People and Culture NIE Networks, said:
“Developing a workforce with green skills to deliver climate and energy goals is a significant challenge which will require strong collaboration between the eight sectors that have green jobs, the education sector and government. Labour market demographics for Northern Ireland over the next ten years highlight a reducing labour pool at the very time when 28,000 direct additional green jobs and up to 58,000 indirect total green jobs will be created in this important growth sector. We welcome the Minister for the Economy’s ongoing consultation on Good Jobs. Now is the time to put the right structures and measures in place if Northern Ireland is to maximise the opportunities presented by the energy transition.”
