The engineering sector in Northern Ireland is running counter to the trend in the rest of the UK, according to the latest survey by the Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF). This shows that the engineering industry in the UK is at its lowest level for some years, with engineering output still in decline. But in Northern Ireland, firms report that output is increasing, and that the numbers employed in the industry is on the increase.

But a spokesman for the EEF in Northern Ireland said that, while the position in Northern Ireland was clearly more encouraging, the figures showed that there was no room for complacency. The survey says that the slowdown in the UK economy is depressing the demand for engineering products, and this is likely to deepen the downward trend.