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In today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace, productivity is vital for business survival. Businesses with higher productivity levels and lower costs per unit of output are more competitive in both domestic and international markets. Productivity is also crucial for wider economic prosperity. A country with higher productivity usually has more export potential, job creation, and sustainable growth. Northern Ireland lags behind the UK and the Republic of Ireland’s productivity levels. According to the Productivity Institute’s ‘NI Productivity 2040’ insights paper, the failure to address

We want to help business across Northern Ireland become more productive, innovative and profitable, and in turn deliver an economy that works for everyone. We recently launched our new business strategy ‘Our Future in Focus 2024-27’. It is a three-year plan focused on raising productivity, creating good jobs, driving sustainability, and promoting balanced regional growth – the four pillars of Minister Murphy’s Economic Mission.

Discover the unique advantage of Northern Ireland's dual market access—trade seamlessly with GB & the EU. Learn how to grow your business today!

Northern Ireland is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in green manufacturing, technology, services, and supply chain innovation. Rachel Sankannawar, Head of Green Economy Development at Invest Northern Ireland, explains why businesses should embrace the green economy and how Invest NI is helping them succeed.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and as his tenure as US Special Envoy for Economic Affairs draws to a close, Invest NI’s Director of Trade & Investment, Anne Beggs writes in the Irish News about Joe Kennedy III’s catalytic impact on businesses right across Northern Ireland and laying the foundations for a legacy of growth opportunities.

Steve Harper, Invest Northern Ireland’s executive director, international and skills, sets out Northern Ireland’s unique competitive position.

With centuries of tradition in farming and a rich heritage of agricultural innovation, Northern Ireland continues to serve as a proving ground for modern, sustainable farming solutions.

According to the Living Wage Foundation, becoming a Living Wage Employer extends far beyond ethical and social considerations.

The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) continues to be remarkably successful in driving innovation and implementing new initiatives within the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom.

The King's Award for Enterprise is an internationally recognised mark of excellence, which highlights the world-class performance of businesses of all sizes across the UK.

The past few months have brought positive news for the North West. Investors and indigenous businesses have announced investments in the region that will create over 1,400 new jobs in the coming years. Vertiv, EY, Foods Connected, FinTrU and FabPlus, are just a few of the companies committed to growing their business in the North West.

During the financial year we monitor our activity and outputs against operational targets. These in-year targets help us measure our progress towards our Business Strategy.

Our 2023 Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) show a strong increase across Sales, External Sales and Exports amongst businesses we supported. All three metrics increased by at least 5 percent on 2022 figures.

Catherine McGuigan is Head of Leadership and Capability in our Skills & Competitiveness Division. She sets out here why strong leadership is critical to the success of your business.

The benefits of exporting are well documented at both a company and overall economy level. Besides offering significant growth opportunities through increased sales and enhancing resilience from economic shocks, firms exporting to a wide range of markets contribute to improving productivity, driving innovation, and their export-fuelled growth can create and sustain high quality jobs. And importantly for Northern Ireland, the distribution of export activity right across the region means that trade and its associated benefits, can be a driver of regionally balanced and inclusive growth.

If you’re not already exporting to Europe, 2024 is the year to set your sights on the over 500 million consumers in 27 countries that make up the European Union (EU) market, which is worth €14.5 trillion.

Ireland's whiskey heritage, anchored by centuries of distilling acumen in Northern Ireland, is experiencing a renaissance, with the spirit's global sales forecasted to double in the next decade.

The food and drink industry in Northern Ireland is valued at £7bn; it’s a progressive industry, focused on original products which are exported to over 70 countries.

In the fast-changing landscape of business, investing in Research and Development (R&D) and innovation is not merely a choice; it is a strategic necessity to achieve sustained growth and competitiveness. As the Director of Innovation and R&D at Invest Northern Ireland, I am convinced of the transformative power that innovation holds for businesses, and the pivotal role innovation plays in the growth of our economy.

Increasingly, consumers look to brand values and ethics as part of their purchasing decisions. They consider issues of sustainability, inclusivity and social impact alongside more traditional elements such as price and quality. Those businesses that are focused on the green economy or are working to ensure their products are accessible to everyone have an inbuilt competitive advantage.