Jobs growth across Lancashire, new intelligence toolkit shows

Lancashire’s new Labour Market Intelligence Toolkit has revealed positive job growth - but with challenges ahead.

The LMI Toolkit, commissioned by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), includes a new in-depth study of Lancashire’s recent employment performance together with projected demands for different jobs and skills across the county in the future.

For the first time, it also contains a series of in-depth area profiles which highlight specific local data for all of Lancashire’s major conurbations and regions. These include detailed factsheets for Preston, Chorley and South Ribble; Lancaster and Morecambe; West Lancashire; Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre; Burnley and Pendle; Blackburn, Hynburn, Rossendale and Ribble Valley.

The new research revealed that, between 2014 and 2017, the number of people employed had risen across every part of Lancashire, and that the unemployment rate in the county was below both the regional and national average. In total it reports the county has 53,800 more people in employment since 2014.

Lancashire’s employment rate has also risen significantly faster (+6.5%) than the rest of the UK (excluding London) since 2014 (+2.5%), and that over the last decade the county had outperformed the rest of the North West in terms of overall job growth.

In terms of unemployment, Lancashire’s rate of 4.4% is below the regional and national levels. In real terms this means there were 22,700 fewer unemployed people than in 2014

The data also suggested that more highly skilled jobs were on the increase, with an additional 20,000 people employed at this level since 2014.

Further, figures indicated that employment had consistently grown in six out of the LEP’s seven priority economic sectors since 2015, and that the county enjoyed a higher than average rate of employment among young people. The findings also indicated that significant employment growth was expected in the county over the next ten years.

However, despite the overwhelmingly positive forecasts for employment, the research also identified a number of challenges linked to skills, training, education and demographics which lay ahead for Lancashire and could impact on fulfilling its full economic potential.

The findings of the first LMI Toolkit were delivered before an audience of more than 180 representatives drawn from Lancashire businesses, schools, colleges and stakeholders, gathered at the Barton Grange Hotel.

LEP board director Graham Cowley said: “The launch of the LEP’s labour market intelligence toolkit will help all of the Hub’s partners identify the best future work opportunities for Lancashire students, directing them towards successful careers while also underpinning growth in the Lancashire economy.”

The conference was also a celebration of the success of the county’s thriving Enterprise Adviser Network, an innovative careers and enterprise programme for Lancashire which matches local schools with volunteers from local businesses to help boost employment prospects for young people. Co-funded by Lancashire County Council and The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), and delivered by Inspira on behalf of the Lancashire LEP's Skills & Employment Hub, the Network now involves over 134 volunteer strategic leaders from business - Enterprise Advisers – who are working directly with 122 Lancashire schools and colleges.