Why Northern Ireland’s ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill Matters for Migrant Workers and Ethnic Minority Owned Businesses : EMEEN Outlook

EMEEN Representitives Meeting NI Economy Minister Dr C Archibald to Discuss Ethnic Minority Employment & Career

The proposed ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill represents an important opportunity to strengthen workplace standards, employment stability, and business awareness across Northern Ireland. While much of the discussion has focused on employees, the Bill also has significant relevance for ethnic minority and migrant-owned businesses, many of whom are increasingly contributing to Northern Ireland's economy as employers, innovators, and job creators.

Northern Ireland's labour market has changed significantly over the past two decades. Census data shows that ethnic minority communities are one of the fastest-growing parts of the population and workforce. As the economy continues to evolve, ensuring that both workers and employers understand what constitutes a good job will become increasingly important.

Many ethnic minority employees are represented across sectors such as hospitality, food processing, logistics, social care, cleaning, retail, and agency work. These sectors play a vital role in Northern Ireland's economy, but they are also more likely to utilise flexible, temporary, seasonal, or variable-hour working arrangements. While many employers provide positive and supportive working environments, some workers continue to experience challenges linked to unstable hours, short-term contracts, and limited certainty around future employment.

Recent Northern Ireland labour market statistics indicate that unemployment among people from "other ethnic backgrounds" is approximately 9%, compared with around 4% for the wider population. Rather than viewing this solely as an equality issue, it may be more useful to see it as a labour market challenge that requires continued intervention, skills development, employer engagement, and greater awareness of employment opportunities and rights.

The Bill appears designed to address some of these challenges by creating clearer and more consistent employment standards. Proposed measures around banded contracts, day-one employment rights, fairer treatment of agency workers, enhanced redundancy protections, and safeguards around dismissal practices aim to provide greater certainty for both employers and employees.

Steve Lazars, EMEEN Founder & Director Stated "The Good Jobs Bill has the potential to be a positive step for Northern Ireland's economy, workforce, and businesses. If introduced with careful consideration and meaningful engagement with employers, it can help create greater clarity around employment standards while supporting stability, productivity, and workforce development. We also see it as an opportunity for ethnic minority and migrant-owned businesses to better understand what good employment practice looks like, ultimately benefiting workers, employers, and the wider economy alike."

Importantly, the Bill aligns with the direction set out in the Department for the Economy Minister's Economic Vision, which places a strong emphasis on creating more Good Jobs across Northern Ireland. The Department defines good jobs as those that provide fair pay, security, opportunities for progression, and a positive working environment. Recent figures show that approximately 69% of jobs in Northern Ireland currently meet the Good Jobs standard, demonstrating progress while also highlighting room for further improvement.

"I believe this is a positive step for Northern Ireland's workforce and economy. While UK employment laws are already comparatively favourable to employees when compared with many other countries, it is important that we continue to review and strengthen employment practices as workplaces evolve." Dr Pragya Sharma, Founder and CEO of Gran Lab

For ethnic minority and migrant-owned businesses, the legislation offers more than a compliance framework. It provides practical guidance on what good employment looks like in Northern Ireland. Many entrepreneurs have established businesses after arriving from countries with different employment systems, regulations, and workplace expectations. As these businesses grow and recruit staff, the Bill can help increase awareness of fair contracts, predictable working arrangements, employee well-being, workforce development, progression opportunities, and staff retention.

This understanding is particularly important as many migrant-owned businesses move from self-employment and family-run operations into becoming employers in their own right. Having clearer guidance on good employment practices can help businesses attract talent, reduce turnover, improve productivity, and build stronger workplace cultures.

Dr Halla Iqbal highlighted

"The Good Jobs Bill is a positive and inclusive step that could strengthen employment standards across Northern Ireland. While the overall direction is encouraging, further clarity would be helpful around areas such as zero-hour contracts, unfair dismissal, parental leave, sick pay, and redundancy provisions. Overall, it provides a strong foundation for further development."

Ultimately, the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill is not simply about regulating employment. It is about creating greater clarity and understanding across the labour market, supporting workers and employers alike, and helping Northern Ireland build a more productive, resilient, and inclusive economy. For ethnic minority workers and migrant-owned businesses, it offers an opportunity not only to strengthen employment standards but also to better understand and contribute to what a good job should look like in a modern Northern Ireland economy.