A Survey of Industrial Movement in Northern Ireland

D I S C U S S I O N of the economic situation of Northern Ireland has been dominated by persistently high rates of unemployment. Since 1936 these rates have been higher than in any other region o f the United Kingdom. Since the war unemployment rates have not fallen below 5 per cent, local area rates have been as high as 20 per cent and long-term unemployment has accounted for over 50 per cent of registered unemployment in a number of areas. Unemploy­ ment figures of over 7 per cent in 1971 and over 9 per cent in 1972 are inflated by extraordinary national and regional economic circumstances. However, they clearly reflect an adverse underlying situation. The most important policies designed to remedy this situation have been those associated with the attraction and stimulation of manufacturing industry. In Northern Ireland these have been operated since 1932. A considerable amount of industrial movement into Northern Ireland has taken place since 1945. 1 It is not clear to what extent this movement has been influenced by, or is consequent upon, regional incentive schemes. A considerable body of literature suggests that the availability of incentive schemes may not be of primary importance in determining movement. Information specific to Northern Ireland is severely