31 May 2026
Cross-border research highlights shared NI–Ireland skills priorities
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has published a new Skills Insight Note, ‘Cross Border Skills and Commonalities between Ireland and Northern Ireland’, the first in its Skills Insights series for 2026. Drawing on recently published joint census data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), the note examines labour markets across both jurisdictions, with a particular focus on cross-border workers, sectoral employment trends, education profiles and shared skills priorities.
The research identified strong similarities between the two jurisdictions, including a continued reliance on critical sectors such as manufacturing, health and education, and a shared policy focus on future-oriented skills in digitalisation, the green economy and apprenticeships. While cross-border workers make up a relatively small share of the overall labour force, commuting flows, particularly from Northern Ireland into the Republic, have grown strongly over the past decade, reflecting shared economic strengths and labour market opportunities.
For careers practitioners in Northern Ireland, the findings reinforce something many advisers already see in practice: clients’ horizons are not confined to one jurisdiction. Opportunities in the Republic, qualification recognition, and cross-border study and commuting are increasingly live considerations in guidance conversations, particularly in border regions and the North West.
The note is a useful reference point for advisers supporting clients weighing all-island options, and a reminder that NI labour market intelligence benefits from a cross-border lens. CDI members may wish to factor shared sectoral strengths and skills priorities into how they frame opportunities for clients exploring work or study across the border.
Read more about the Cross-border commuting increases as Ireland and Northern Ireland share strong skills commonalities.
The research identified strong similarities between the two jurisdictions, including a continued reliance on critical sectors such as manufacturing, health and education, and a shared policy focus on future-oriented skills in digitalisation, the green economy and apprenticeships. While cross-border workers make up a relatively small share of the overall labour force, commuting flows, particularly from Northern Ireland into the Republic, have grown strongly over the past decade, reflecting shared economic strengths and labour market opportunities.
For careers practitioners in Northern Ireland, the findings reinforce something many advisers already see in practice: clients’ horizons are not confined to one jurisdiction. Opportunities in the Republic, qualification recognition, and cross-border study and commuting are increasingly live considerations in guidance conversations, particularly in border regions and the North West.
The note is a useful reference point for advisers supporting clients weighing all-island options, and a reminder that NI labour market intelligence benefits from a cross-border lens. CDI members may wish to factor shared sectoral strengths and skills priorities into how they frame opportunities for clients exploring work or study across the border.
Read more about the Cross-border commuting increases as Ireland and Northern Ireland share strong skills commonalities.
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