evidence: Northern Ireland’s economy is heavily reliant on sectors such as agri-food, retail and hospitality, which have been hardest hit by COVID-19 and face the most uncertain recovery. [...] Even prior to the pandemic, the economy of Northern Ireland had not fully recovered from the global recession of 2008. In 2020, the economy once again contracted, with implications for longer-term economic revival, labour market trends and the wider ‘levelling up’ agenda. [...] Nonetheless, employment sectors that provide the first rung on the ladder for many (for example hospitality, retail) may take several years to recover; even then, they may not provide the same kind of employment opportunities as before. There is a risk that the jobs which replace those lost will be of poorer quality.