BBC News NI economics and business editorHowever, growth was not seen across all sectors. Manufacturing and services expanded while retail and construction saw reduced activity.Construction is suffering from reduced public sector spending while retail is being hit by a squeeze on consumers.
Mr Ramsey said: "These sectors have witnessed a notable deterioration in business confidence, with construction firms expecting business activity to be significantly lower in 12 months' time, whereas retail businesses expect sales to be flat. "Conversely, manufacturers and service sector firms still anticipate higher levels of activity in the middle of next year."Every month Ulster Bank asks a representative sample of firms about issues such as new orders, employment and exports.
The survey suggests that the Northern Ireland private sector has now been growing for five consecutive months.Official data published last monthin the first quarter of the year. The NI Composite Economic Index expanded by 1.2% over the quarter and grew by 1.7% on an annual basis.The sets of figures are not produced on a fully comparable basis, particularly when assessing public sector output.Related Topics