This
project is financed by the LSC, SEEDA and
the European Social Fund
REGIONAL
ECONOMY/LABOUR MARKET
VACANCIES
New data is available showing the number of Jobcentre Plus vacancies in Great Britain and the South East. In total, in January 2008 the South East had over 23,834 vacancies, and there were almost 194,349 in Great Britain as a whole.
The greatest proportion of vacancies notified in the South East region in January 2008 were Elementary Occupations (25.1%). Vacancies were also common in Sales and Customer Service Occupations, in Administrative and Secretarial Occupations, and in Associate Professional and Technical Occupations (20.2%, 10.8% and 10.0%).
Although not all vacancies are notified through Jobcentre Plus, this information can assist advisers in seeing demand from employers throughout the region. Click here to go through to our website for further information on vacancies.
STRUCTURE
OF EMPLOYMENT
The latest update of Annual Population Survey data (for January 2006 to December 2006 is available). The data is a very broad indicator from which industrial sectors future demand for skills might come.
18.7% of the working age population in the South East are employed in banking, finance and insurance, which is higher than for Great Britain as a whole (15.9%).
The South East as a region has slightly lower proportions of the working age population employed in the manufacturing (11.8%) compared to Great Britain (13.1%) and public admin, education and health sectors (27.4% compared to the GB region as 28.4%)
Click here for further information on the structure of employment regionally and nationally.
ANNUAL EARNINGS OF EARNINGS 2007 New data from the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings has just been released on NOMIS. Full-time workers in the South East have higher gross annual earnings than any other region in Great Britain apart from London. The median full-time gross annual earnings for 2007 in the South East were £25,547 compared to £24,091 nationally. For a fuller comparison of South East and national figures as well as annual earnings by gender in the South East click here.
CLAIMANT COUNT- UNEMPLOYMENT
The claimant count records the number of people claiming JSA and National Insurance credits at Job Centre Plus local offices. Claimant count unemployment (as a proportion of the working age population) in the South East is one of the lowest in England: only the South West has a rate as low (both 1.4%). The rate for the South East is well below that for Great Britain as a whole (2.3%). Further national and regional information on JSA claimant counts can be accessed by clicking
here and going through to our website.
The most recent figures for the estimated resident population of the UK have been released, and relate to the mid year (June) 2006. The estimated resident population of an area includes all people who usually live there, whatever their nationality. The population estimates are based on the Census of Population (2001) and calculated annually – the previous years’ population is ‘aged on’ by one year, with births added and deaths removed. There is also an adjustment for net migration. This adjustment is the most difficult to estimate accurately, and can affect some areas with high migration more than others.
The population for the South East is estimated at 8,237,800; 50,762,900 for England; and almost 59 million for Great Britain (ONS, August 2007). These estimates suggest that the region’s population has increased by 73,600 in twelve months, and increase of 0.9%.
For the estimated population of the South East by area,
and discussion on the use and accuracy of the population
estimates, please click
here to visit the website.
The most recent data from the Annual Population Survey provides information on the formal qualifications held by the working age population of Great Britain, England and the regions.
Nationally, just under four out of five people (77.7%) of working age have a qualification of at least NVQ level 1 or equivalent: the proportion in the South East region is much higher than the national average (82.7%). The South East region also has above average proportions of the working age population with qualifications at or above NVQ level 2 (68.0%), NVQ level 3 (49.4%) and NVQ level 4 (30.5%).
For further details of the qualification levels of the working age population of areas of the South East, please click here to visit a more detailed article on the website.
ANNUAL
BUSINESS INQUIRY – EMPLOYEE
ANALYSIS The
latest ABI employee data (2005) shows that
the South East has a greater
proportion of its workforce employed in the
Distribution, Hotels & Restaurants sector
than is the case for England of great Britain
as a whole. Similarly, a greater proportion
of the South East regional workforce is employed
in the Banking, Finance and Insurance sector
than the national workforce.
Comparatively fewer people in the South East
are employed in manufacturing. Click
here for more regional analysis of the latest
ABI data, or visit the local data section
of this bulletin for analysis for your local
area.
According to the Office of National
Statistics, VAT registrations are the best official guide
to the pattern of business start-ups and closures across
the UK and in each industry – although they cannot
give a complete picture of the activity across the economy.
In 2005 (relating to the latest statistics) the VAT registration
threshold was an annual turnover of £60,000.
The total stock of VAT registered
businesses in the South East Region totalled 291,755
at the end of 2005 (latest data), which equates to 18%
of those in England. The South East has a higher stock
than any other region in the country including London
(which has 288,405 VAT registered businesses) (ONS NOMIS).
