The share of Catholics in the Northern Ireland workforce has increased steadily over the past 10 years, according to a report published yesterday. The statistics, compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, cover the public sector as well as private firms with 26 employees or more. The share of Catholic employees now stands at 39.6 per cent of the workforce, an overall increase of 4.7 per cent and a 5.3 per cent increase in the private sector since 1990.