Over the last two years, the UK economy has experienced stagnating output growth alongside increasing total employment. This counter-intuitive situation has come to be known as the "Productivity Puzzle". Northern Ireland has experienced a similar dynamic over the last two years. There is no agreement among researchers as to what may be causing this situation or whether it is a permanent or temporary feature of the economy.
This in-Brief seeks to examine the many possible causes of the productivity puzzle, their likelihood and to what extent thy apply to Northern Ireland. Whether this trend continues or not, it does pose some very important questions about the state of the domestic economy and how it may evolve in the near future.
The latest NERI In-Brief is here
Paul Mac Flynn is co-director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute and is based in the Belfast office. In addition to managing the Belfast office he has co-responsibility for the NERI's research programme and for its strategic direction.
He leads on the NERI’s analysis of the Northern Ireland economy along with all research into the impact of the United Kingdom‘s departure from the European Union. Other research areas include regional productivity, the all-island economy and the future of work.
He is a graduate of University College Dublin with a BA in Economics and Politics and the University of Bristol with an MSc in Economics and Public Policy, specialising in the economic impacts of political devolution in the UK.
Contact: [email protected] or 00 44 28 9024 6214.
