Northern Ireland economy to fall behind rest of UK

BELFAST: Northern Ireland's construction sector has hit a new low says the Northern Bank's quarterly economic forecast.

BELFAST: Northern Ireland's construction sector has hit a new low says the Northern Bank's quarterly economic forecast.

Northern Ireland's construction industry accounts for about £2.5bn of economic activity a year, but it faces a fourth year of decline. Public-sector building work accounts for half of building jobs, compared with 35% before the recession.

The report predicts that the growth rate for the economy will struggle to reach 1.1% this year compared with a UK average of 1.7%.