The sport and recreation industry contributed £121 million in Gross Added Value (GVA) output to the economy in 2004, representing 63% of the Active Leisure and Learning sector output in Northern Ireland.  The industry is expected to grow in the future.  The industry employs 10,490 people, accounting for 64% of the sector workforce in Northern Ireland.  Over the next 5 years, employment is expected to grow by 0.9%.

Playwork is a relatively new sector in Northern Ireland and is not seen as a distinct profession from other childcare sectors.  It has a low in status and employers can not get staff with playwork qualifications and so accept early year qualifications.  New registration arrangements are planned and a number of policy initiatives are impacting on the sector.

In the health and fitness industry, employers in Northern Ireland have found it hard-to-fill casual/part-time posts particularly for leisure attendants and receptionists. Northern Ireland had fewer than 1,000 health and fitness workers in 2004. There is an oversupply of graduates and a lack of candidates with experience.  Skills lacking in the industry are interpersonal, communication, IT and generic skills. Limited and unclear career pathways are a particular barrier in the industry.  The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is seen as a potential solution to standardising the industry.

The caravan industry contributed £18 million in Gross Added Value (GVA) output to the Northern Ireland economy in 2004.  The industry has been unable to grow as no new recreational land has been set aside for new or additional caravan parks. The industry employs the smallest proportion of the caravan industry workforce (590), accounting for 2% of the workforce.  Over the next ten years, employment is expected to grow and replacement demand is estimated to be 90 new workers each year.

The outdoors industry is the smallest of the Active Leisure and Learning sector in Northern Ireland.  It accounts for 3.3% of employment in the Northern Ireland Active Leisure and Learning sector, contributing £6 million to the Gross Value Added (GVA) output.  62% of the workforce are male, 38% female which is comparable to other industries in the sector, with the exception of playwork. Employment levels in the industry are expected to grow between 2004-2014.

Source: Skill Needs Assessment – Northern Ireland 2006, SkillsActive website 2006, Skills Needs Assessment – Health and Fitness 2005, Skills Needs Assessment – the Caravan Industry 2005, Skills Needs Assessment – Sport and Recreation 2005 and Skills Needs Assessment – Playwork 2005

For more data on the Northern Ireland Active Leisure and Learning sector see: