A new ESRI-Shared Island report has concluded that cross-border co-operation in key areas established by the Good Friday Agreement has not reached its full potential, particularly in strategic sectors like education, health, agriculture, and the environment.
The report highlights several policy implications requiring attention, including significantly higher rates of early school leaving in Northern Ireland, which impacts employment quality and productivity. It also notes differences in post-secondary qualification uptake, suggesting opportunities to develop further education and training in Northern Ireland as pathways to employment.
Both jurisdictions face similar challenges regarding the “gendered nature of care” and its effects on employment, with the report emphasizing the need for expanded early years and after-school care services across the island. Lone mothers in both Ireland and Northern Ireland encounter particular difficulties accessing high-quality employment, indicating a requirement for better education, training supports, and childcare provision.
The report argues for “substantially upscaling North-South co-operation” in existing strategic areas while expanding collaboration to include skills provision, foreign direct investment, labor market access, and energy security.
Other key findings reveal a widening gap in disposable household income between the regions, with the Republic’s income 18.3% higher in 2018. Life expectancy at birth is two years higher in Ireland, reflecting differences in welfare and living standards, while child income poverty rates are higher in Northern Ireland.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who is scheduled to launch the report, commented: “The huge untapped potential of all-island co-operation is a major takeaway from the ESRI’s overarching report. This reflects the Government’s commitments to expand our Shared Island Initiative, so that we bring co-operation to a new level.”
The report synthesizes 15 previous publications under the four-year work program conducted for the Irish Government’s Shared Island Unit.