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PRIVACY
Economic Development

More spare cash for Northern Ireland consumers but gap with rest of º£½ÇÊÓÆµ still stark

Asda Income Tracker showed consumers have £143 of disposable income after paying for essentials

Asda's Income Tracker shows NI consumers have more disposable income

Consumers in Northern Ireland have enjoyed a hike in the amount of spare cash they have to spend compared to a year ago.

That is the finding from the latest Asda Income Tracker which reported that consumers here have £143 of disposable income each week after essentials, such as rent, mortgage, bills and food, have been paid.

That is an increase of around 18% on the year and the fastest growth in spare cash of all º£½ÇÊÓÆµ regions.

On average, total house income across the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ is £858 a week, essential spending is £475, taxes are £137 a week, which leaves disposable income at £246.

The Asda report said Northern Ireland households tend to see a larger proportion of their incomes stemming from social security benefits and has benefited from the uplift in the universal credit. Similarly, it has a larger proportion of public sector workers – which make up a quarter of the nation’s workforce - which has enjoyed relatively strong public sector pay growth.

However, while the picture looks better for consumers in Northern Ireland, the region’s consumers still have the lowest amount of disposable income of all º£½ÇÊÓÆµ regions.

Consumers in the north east of England – ranked second lowest in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ - have £25 more spare cash each week while those in first placed London have £297, more than double the Northern Ireland rate.

Rob McWilliam, Asda’s Chief Finance Officer, said customers are feeling more positive about their future.