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Employment and Economic Activity - April 2015
Published: May 2015
- Employment and Economic Activity - April 2015
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The Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) is a rich dataset from which small area analyses can be derived at various levels. The survey collects employment information from businesses across the whole of the UK economy for each site that they operate.
- Employment is the number of people in employment. It consists of people aged 16 and over who did paid work (as an employee or self-employed working proprietors). The BRES figure for ‘total employment’ is often used to show the number of jobs in an area.
- An employee is anyone aged 16 years or over that an organisation directly pays from its payroll, in return for carrying out a full/part-time job or being on a training scheme. (Excludes: voluntary workers, self-employed, working owners who are not paid via PAYE).
Total employment (2013)
| 2013 Employment (Jobs) | % Change 2009 - 2013 | % Annual change 2012-2013 | |
| Somerset | 219,300 | -3.3 | 2.8 |
| Mendip | 44,800 | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| Sedgemoor | 41,700 | -2.3 | 0.0 |
| South Somerset | 66,100 | -6.8 | 3.3 |
| Taunton Deane | 54,000 | -4.9 | 2.4 |
| West Somerset | 12,600 | 3.3 | 5.5 |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 691,700 | -3.6 | 1.2 |
| England | 24,552,400 | 2.0 | 1.4 |
Source: BRES 2013. NB. All figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
‘Total employment’ (jobs) in Somerset increased by 2.8% between 2012 and 2013, compared to an increase of 1.4% at national level. The majority of the County’s jobs are located in South Somerset (66,100), whilst only 6% are to be found in West Somerset (12,600).
Source: BRES 2013
Somerset’s largest sector in employment terms is health (16.3%), followed by manufacturing (13.1%). The smallest sectors are agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.2%), and finance and insurance (1.3%).
The motor trade sector had the largest annual increase between 2012 and 2013 (17.7%). Employment in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector fell by 25.5% over the same period.
Source: BRES 2013
Somerset has a higher proportion of part-time workers than the national level (37% compared to 32%)’ Levels of part-time working have remained largely consistent since 2009.
Economic activity (Dec 2014)
| Area | Current economic Activity rate(% residents aged 16 - 64) | Annual Change (Dec 2013-Dec 2014) | Economic Activity Rate:% males aged 16-64 | Economic Activity rate: % Females aged 16-64 |
| Somerset | 81 | 0.7 | 87.2 | 75 |
| Mendip | 79.9 | 4.4 | 89 | 70.6 |
| Sedgemoor | 80.8 | -4.4 | 86.9 | 74.7 |
| South Somerset | 80.5 | -0.8 | 83 | 78.2 |
| Taunton Deane | 84.7 | 3.1 | 91.9 | 78.1 |
| West Somerset | 73.4 | 4.4 | 86.1 | 61.3 |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 79.7 | 0.3 | 83.9 | 75.6 |
| UK | 77.2 | 0.1 | 82.7 | 71.7 |
Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2015
81% of Somerset’s residents aged 16-64 are economically active, compared to 77.2% nationally. Within the County, Taunton Deane has the highest economic activity rate (84.7%). Sedgemoor and South Somerset have seen decreases in economic activity over the last year. Males have a consistently higher economic activity rate than females across Somerset, the LEP and the UK.
Employment rate (Dec 2014)
| Area | Current Employment Rate, aged 16-64 (%) | Annual Change (Dec 2013 - Dec 2014) |
| Somerset | 76.7 | 0 |
| Mendip | 76.6 | 5 |
| Sedgemoor | 74.5 | -4 |
| South Somerset | 76.7 | -2.3 |
| Taunton Deane | 80.6 | 1 |
| West Somerset | 70.8 | 5.7 |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 75.7 | 0.9 |
| UK | 72.2 | 1 |
Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2015
Somerset’s employment rate is higher than the national level (76.7% compared to 72.2%). Taunton Deane has the highest employment rate of all the districts (80.6%). West Somerset saw the greatest increase over the last year (+5.7%).
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Did you know?
91.5% of the Somerset population was born in the UK, Poland is the most common non-UK county of birth for Somerset residents (1.3%), followed by Romania (0.75%). (Census 2021).