The number of Northern Ireland jobs supported by the furlough scheme rose by 12% over a matter of months, according to official figures.
A HMRC report on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) found that 106,200 local positions were being supported by the CJRS at the end of January.
At its peak during the summer, 249,600 Northern Ireland jobs were enrolled on the CJRS.
Numbers fell to 68,000 in October, before climbing to 94,800 after the introduction of further Covid restrictions, including a full lockdown from December 26.
While there were 106,200 furloughed positions at the end of January, the number was slightly higher, at 114,500, on January 20.