Analysis of NI trade by sector: A focus on the 10X priority clusters

Patterns in the trading activity of ten sectors in Northern Ireland (including six non-10X and four 10X), in real terms, was analysed over the period 2014 to 2020 using tables and graphs. Northern Ireland trade data included sales, purchases and gross value added.

Our findings suggest that in real terms the Northern Ireland economy has seen contraction in the (non-10X) manufacturing sector. In this respect, Northern Ireland is probably not that dissimilar to other Western economies where such deindustrialisation was continuing. Growth by businesses within the 10X sectors, both in terms of scale (sales) and value added (GVA), helped to offset the negative impact of contraction in manufacturing, wholesale and retail over the period 2014-2019. Other non10X support sectors, such as construction and other services, have also experienced strong gains, perhaps to support the needs of the growing 10X sectors. Our findings suggest benefits of policies that adopt a targeted approach, especially in terms of promoting advanced technologies.