Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is accelerating a radical approach to reduce economic inactivity and move more people into sustainable jobs, setting out the plans during a visit to USEL alongside Rt Hon Alan Milburn, chair of the Commission for Work and Wellbeing.

Speaking during the visit, Minister Lyons said: "Economic inactivity is one of the biggest challenges we face in Northern Ireland.

"We have the highest rates in the UK with over a quarter of working-age people, around 319,000, not in a job.

"We know that this creates a range of risks for people, from poverty to mental health and other issues.

"My focus is on removing barriers they face and support more people into meaningful, sustainable employment."

The Pathways to Work and Wellbeing project, funded through the Executive's Transformation Fund and supported in partnership with the Department of Health and the Department for the Economy, is intended to deliver fundamental change to employability and health supports for people not in work or at risk of leaving employment.

The Minister added: "Pathways to Work and Wellbeing is all about understanding and addressing the factors behind economic inactivity, particularly in relation to disability and ill health. I want to see investment in a preventative approach that prioritises early intervention to help both employers and jobseekers overcome barriers. "As part of this I have established an independent Commission for Work and Wellbeing, and Chair Alan Milburn has begun an in-depth engagement programme to listen to all voices and lead on a long-term strategic approach to achieve the change needed.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity to support more people into sustainable employment, improve health outcomes and reduce poverty across Northern Ireland."

Lyons' focus on health-related economic inactivity forms part of a wider anti-poverty agenda, including consultation on a ten-year Disability and Work strategy alongside the Executive's Anti-Poverty Strategy.

The new programme will test an integrated work-and-health model that brings together employment, health, skills and community support, with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

Rt Hon Alan Milburn said: "Poor health is holding back too many people in Northern Ireland and it is dampening economic growth. Employers are short of skilled labour but there is a pool of talent locked out of the labour market. By working independently with employers, educators and local services, the Commission will identify new ways of bridging that gap."

USEL, a leading provider of employment support for people with disabilities or health conditions, hosted the visit, during which the Minister and Mr Milburn met individuals accessing its employment, training and support services.

Northern Ireland's economic inactivity rate remains among the highest in the UK, at 26.8% compared with a UK-wide rate of 21%, with disability and ill health cited as the primary reason by 36.7% of those inactive.