29/01/2026

UPDATE ON THE PUBLICATION OF THE GOOD JOBS BILL (29 January 2026)

• On 21 January 2026, the Minister for the Economy attended the Committee for the Economy and provided an update on progress of the Good Jobs Bill.
• The Bill was originally intended to be PUBLISHED by the END OF JANUARY 2026. With only one week remaining, the Minister confirmed that this would not happen.
• The Minister stated that significant portions of the drafted Bill, along with detailed policy papers for the remaining elements, would instead be brought to the Executive, likely on 12 February 2026.
• The Bill must receive Executive approval before it can be passed to the Committee.
• The Committee expressed clear annoyance at only learning on 21 January that the planned publication date would not be met. The Chairperson commented: “That is the first time that you have said that publicly, Minister.”
• During the exchange, the Minister described the Bill as “the most significant upgrade of our employment legislation since devolution” and noted that “losing two years of the mandate has made developing legislation challenging.”
• She confirmed that “all of the instructions have been given to the drafters” and that “a considerable proportion of the legislation has been drafted.”
• When asked directly whether the work on the Bill had finished, she replied: “We do not have a final draft of the Bill.”
• Additional detail was provided by Mr Snowden, Permanent Secretary for the Department for the Economy, who stated: “The most recent estimate is that we will have it in March, possibly towards the end of the month.”
• This means the Bill will not be introduced in January 2026. The Minister acknowledged this, saying: “Given that there is only a week left, it will not be introduced in January 2026.”
• The Minister emphasised that the Department is continuing to push the work forward as quickly as possible, but highlighted the complexity of the legislation, particularly around trade union access and zero‑hours contracts.
• She stated that engagement with business organisations and trade unions had been “really worthwhile”, though it had contributed to the extended timeline.
• When asked how she could seek Executive approval without a completed Bill, the Minister explained that the Executive would receive “the bulk of the Bill as drafted and detailed policy set out on the other elements.”

Footnote:

• It is now likely that the full Good Jobs Bill will not be available until April 2026.
• There continues to be strong challenge from employers around the trade union access provisions.
• We await sight of the papers expected to be presented to the Executive on 12 February 2026 to understand the direction further.
• We will continue to keep Members updated