BBC News NI economics and business editor<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Official figures show little sign of a downturn in the Northern Ireland jobs market despite growing concerns among businesses about the impact of next month’s increase in National Insurance.<\/p>\n Payroll data suggests companies were continuing to add staff in January and February.<\/p>\n There were just 150 redundancies announced in February, less than the monthly averages for 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n The employment rate, the proportion of working age adults in a job, was 72.2% in the period from November to January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That was unchanged from the previous quarter but down slightly compared to the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n In April, UK businesses will face an increase in employers National Insurance, the tax they pay on their workers wages.<\/p>\n That move was announced in the autumn Budget to raise additional money for public services<\/a>.<\/p>\n Business surveys suggest that could lead companies to freeze recruitment or cut jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a1a2\/live\/d18569f0-0566-11f0-b8d2-617de79a7a08.jpg.webp\")
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNational Insurance increase <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n