CRS: Northern Ireland: Fair Employment and the MacBride Principles, April 18, 1996
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Northern Ireland: Fair Employment and the MacBride Principles
CRS report number: 96-354
Author(s): Karen Donfried, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division
Date: April 18, 1996
- All major social and economic indicators show that Catholics in Northern Ireland, representing roughly 45 percent of the population, are more disadvantaged than Protestants, comprising 50 percent of the population. The most persistent area of inequality has been unemployment. The British government sees inward investments and the creation of employment opportunities, linked to its fair employment legislation, as the best antidotes to Catholic unemployment. Others believe implementation of the MacBride Principles, relating to equal opportunity and affirmative action, would provide an important remedy.