The Department for the Economy announced the most significant changes in a decade to the NI employment law framework in July 2024, by way of a proposed ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill, promised to deliver meaningful change for NI employers and employees alike. See our dashboard for a full breakdown of the proposed reforms.

Public consultation on the wide-reaching reforms was launched in summer 2024, but progress in delivering this bill into law has stalled. With just 14 months remaining before the end of the current NI Assembly mandate in 2027, the clock is ticking.

Leeanne Armstrong, Managing Associate, spoke with Kate Nicholl, Alliance MLA for South Belfast and member of the Economy Committee about the road ahead for the bill, in our recent podcast. Below, we set out where the bill is now, what is needed to make this law and what this means for the NI employers in the short term.

Where does the Bill currently sit in the NI Assembly timetable?

Despite initial optimism that draft legislation would be before the Assembly by January 2025, that timeline has slipped. Following the public consultation which ran from 1 July to 30 September 2024 and attracted 192 responses, the Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald made a statement on 25 April 2025 setting out the proposed content of the bill. Stakeholders had anticipated receiving the printed bill shortly after Easter 2025, but as of the most recent Economy Committee meeting in February 2026, officials confirmed that the bill is still being drafted.

The current expectation is that the bill will go to the Executive for approval in the coming weeks, with the hope that it will reach the Economy Committee for scrutiny by May. However, there is a real risk that the bill may not pass before the end of the current mandate, which means the bill will simply fail. The legislative process would need to start again from the beginning, with no guarantee that the same policy priorities would be maintained.

This understandably leaves much uncertainty for employers in Northern Ireland in terms of planning and implementing any changes into their workforce, policies, processes, budgets etc.

Failure to enact the Bill would also leave Northern Ireland significantly out of step with the rest of the UK. Employment law here has stagnated due to successive Assembly collapses, and the 'Good Jobs' Bill was intended to bridge that gap. However, since its announcement, the new Labour government has enacted the Employment Rights Act 2025, introducing even greater reforms and widening the divergence further.

The Legislative lifecycle for the bill – what needs to happen to make it law?

Understanding the legislative stages can help employers plan realistically. Every bill in the Assembly must pass through the same process, as outlined below:

First Stage involves the title of the bill being read to the chamber. This is a purely procedural step with no debate.

Second Stage sees the general principles of the ‘Good Jobs’ bill debated in the chamber. This focuses on overarching policy rather than detailed provisions.

Committee Stage is a crucial part of the legislative process where scrutiny occurs. The Economy Committee will gather evidence, invite witnesses and stakeholders to give their views, and produce a scrutiny report that may include proposed amendments. Employers and business organisations wishing to influence the bill should engage actively at this stage, as representations to the Economy Committee and individual lobbying of MLAs can both lead to amendments. The current expectation is for the bill to be with the Economy Committee by May 2026. However, this stage can vary significantly in length.

Consideration Stage follows, during which MLAs vote on all selected amendments, clauses and schedules, after which the bill is reprinted with all changes incorporated.

Further Consideration Stage provides one additional opportunity to amend the bill and debate amendments.

Final Stage represents the last scrutiny before the bill passes.

Once passed, the bill proceeds to Royal Assent, at which point it becomes an Act. Given that just 14 months remain in the current mandate, the timeline is extremely tight to achieve this.

What should NI employers do?

With uncertainty around timing, what should employers be doing now? The key will be staying abreast of developments as the bill progresses through the Assembly and early panning.

Familiarise yourself with the proposed reforms. The ‘Good Jobs’ Bill contains wide-ranging changes that will affect workplace policies, contracts and day-to-day management practices. Understanding the scope of what is proposed will help you identify where your current arrangements may need to change.

Consider engaging with the Economy Committee. The Committee Stage (as outlined above) represents a significant opportunity for employer bodies and individual organisations to make their views known. Some of the changes proposed under the bill would have a significant impact on employers. Stakeholders with concerns or ideas about specific provisions and how these will work in practice for employers should prepare to engage with the Economy Committee and individual MLAs to help shape the legislation to suit your needs.

Keep an eye on developments in Great Britain. The Employment Rights Act 2025 was passed at the end of last year and includes many reforms not currently incorporated in the ‘Good Jobs’ bill, such as seismic changes to unfair dismissal qualifying periods and removal of compensation caps. The delay of our own ‘Good Jobs’ bill has, in part, been a result of seeing where the GB Act landed and how this would play out for employers and employees. There remains scope for individual MLAs or the Department to bring forward amendments aligning Northern Ireland more closely with GB now that its own Act has been passed.

Looking Ahead

Northern Ireland is leading the way across the UK and the island of Ireland in respect of certain rights and protections for employees, with the introduction of paid miscarriage leave (effective 6 April 2026) and having legislated for domestic abuse safe leave, but we are falling behind in more basic employment provisions, such as day 1 family friendly rights and flexible working, zero hour contract reform and basic pay and benefit improvements. However, realistically, 14 months is a challenging timeframe in which to complete the necessary work to ensure the passage of the ‘Good Jobs’ bill to become law and bring about these needed reforms.

On a separate, but related point, any delay in the bill receiving Royal Assent, will have a knock -on effect on the introduction of regulations to enact Gender Pay Gap Reporting in Northern Ireland, which is already significantly overdue. We have previously discussed the plans to introduce Gender Pay Gap reporting in Northern Ireland. The Department for Communities recently made clear that regulations to implement the long awaited gender pay gap reporting regime in NI would follow Royal Assent of the ‘Good Jobs’ bill, so further delay risks stagnation of progressive NI employment legislation even further.

Employers should therefore plan for change whilst remaining alert to the possibility that these reforms may be delayed and the uncertainty a future Assembly mandate brings.

We will continue to monitor progress and provide updates as the bill moves through the Assembly and continue to stay abreast of proposed changes and developments through our ‘Good Jobs’ hub.