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 JobcentrePlus vacancies in Great
Britain and the South East. In total, in March 2007 the South East had over 31,500
vacancies, and there were almost 300,000 in Great Britain as a whole.
In March 2007, 27.2% of notified vacancies in the South East were in Elementary
Occupations. 14.8% were in Customer Service Occupations and 13.7% in Skilled
Trades Occupations. The least common occupational vacancies notified with the
Jobcentre were Professional Occupations (2.7%) and Managers and Senior Officials
(4.8%). (Source: ONS, NOMIS).
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 a fuller analysis of regional vacancies.
STRUCTURE
OF EMPLOYMENT
The latest update
of Annual Population Survey data (for April 2005
to March 2006 is available. The data is a very broad
indicator from which industrial sector's future demand
for skills might come.
19.0% 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
(11.7%) compared to Great Britain (13.2%) and
public admin, education and health sectors (27.2%
compared to the GB region as 28.4%).
Click
here for further information on the structure
of employment.
ANNUAL
EARNINGS – ANNUAL SURVEY OF HOURS AND EARNINGS
2006 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 2006 in the South East were £26,001 compared
to £23,707 nationally. For a fuller comparison
of South East and national figures as well as male
and female annual earnings in the South East click
here.
CLAIMANT COUNT- UNEMPLOYMENT
Claimant count unemployment (as a proportion of the working age population)
in the South East is comparatively low. The claimant count records the number
of people claiming JSA and National Insurance credits at Job Centre Plus local
offices. In regards to figures, nationally only the South West (1.6%) has as
low a rate as the South East, (1.6%) and the South East is below the 2.6% figure
for Great Britain as a whole. 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. 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 8,164,200 and the United Kingdom
estimate topped 60 million for the first time, at
60.2 million (ONS, August 2006).
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.
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
that 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. Back to Top
VAT
REGIONAL DATA
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).
