education, employment, transport, and health. The demographics of the MEA’s population is discussed in the following section.
Local Challenges
The MEA Community Plan (2017) identifies several challenges in the borough under the following themes: Jobs & Employment; Tourism; An Ageing Population; Rural Communities; Deprivation & Poverty. This section provides an analysis of these challenges and includes additional challenges that impinge on local progress toward the SDGs. This section provides local context on which recommendations for Council are based upon. Jobs and Employment The Borough employs 7.4% of the total NI workforce, with advanced engineering and manufacturing (57%) and construction (15%) representing the main employment sectors (NISRA, 2018b). Local indigenous businesses, such as Wrightbus, and international organisations, including Ryobi, Schrader, Moy Park, Caterpillar Logistics and Terumo BCT, are sizeable employers in the Borough. Other key employers in the area include AES Corporation at Ballylumford, P&O Ferries and Larne Harbour Ltd. Additionally, there is a wide range of small and medium sized enterprises across the region and a strong agri-food sector (MEABC, 2017). The Council has focused on building on the existing sectoral strengths in advanced manufacturing and agri-food in the Borough. Tourism is an important aspect of the local economy, with attractions such as coastal paths, spa hotels and castles contributing to a total visitor spend of approximately £50.7 million in 2018 (Tourism NI, 2018) and providing 4,395 tourism jobs (MEABC, 2019b). MEA’s location on the Causeway Coastal Route and wealth of heritage assets, such as Carrickfergus Castle and Marina, the Garron Plateau, and the Gobbins, provides the foundations for a vibrant tourism industry (MEABC, 2019b). Expanding this sector further is a key priority of the Community Plan and the Council are working to ensure their significant rural tourism assets are developed and well marketed to local, national and international visitors (MEABC, 2017b). While the development and expansion of these sectors work directly towards achieving SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth locally, the Council must give equal consideration to the adverse environmental impacts these sectors may bring. An Ageing Population In 2019, approximately 26,526 people in MEA were aged 65 and over - 19% of the total population (NISRA, 2019b). It is projected that this figure will increase to 24.6% by 2030; the second highest level in NI. Demographic ageing of this degree can cause implications for the provision of public services and increase the demand for residential and home care services, and associated support services. To ensure that progress toward SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing 11
