The number of workers on company payrolls in Northern Ireland fell slightly last month to 809,200, but is still higher than the same time last year.
The proportion of people in work, or the employment rate, rose over the quarter to 72.1%, however it is still lower than the same time last year.
The number of people not in work nor looking for a job – known as the economic inactivity rate – improved over the quarter, falling to 26.3%, but that is still slightly higher than last summer.
The most common reason was “long-term sick” accounting for 39.3% of the total economically inactive.