>> An overview

Kirklees: Key Data

• Growing population of 404,000, up from 398,000 in 2007
• Covers 400 square kilometres of West Yorkshire
• Huddersfield main urban centre: Dewsbury and Batley also sizeable towns
• Strategic location at centre of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield City Regions on Trans- Pennine corridor
• Significant rural population mainly in south
• Large non-white population – 61,200 (15.5%) – mostly Pakistani, Indian and African Caribbean
• 37,000 residents are Muslim (Census 2001)
• Deprivation in some inner urban areas: relative affluence in suburbs and most rural areas
• Minority communities concentrated in poorer urban areas – Pakistanis least affluent
• 14% of working age residents, 36,000 people, have no qualifications
• Nearly 15,000 working age residents claim Incapacity Benefit
• Levels of self employment a little below Great Britain average but catching up; lowest levels in disadvantaged areas

The Kirklees Economy

• Estimated to be worth around £5.7bn
• 13,930 businesses employing 150,000 people: 50% women (2008 data)
• Reputation built on manufacturing – woollen textiles; mechanical engineering; chemicals
• 85% of businesses are small - 10 workers or fewer; same as in Great Britain
• 20% of people work in manufacturing (Great Britain 11%)
• 74% work in service sector (Great Britain 84%)
• 6% work in construction or primary production
• Kirklees firms pay nearly £70 a week less than Great Britain average
• Out-commuting highest in West Yorkshire – mostly highly skilled workers
• 70% of local firms offer flexible working arrangements

Future Trends

Graph of Kirklees occupational forecast showing percentage changes between 2008 and 2015, including forecasts for the number of jobs expected in 2015


Source: Kirklees Regeneration & Economic Development Service/Regional Econometric Model

Recent Trends

• Between 1991 and 2008, Kirklees lost over 17,000 manufacturing jobs, a 36% decline
• Kirklees firms created 31,300 service sector jobs over the same period - 39% growth
• Development of media, creative and cultural sector
• Growing impact/profile of University of Huddersfield
• Growth in business services, tourism and retailing
• Growth in higher level jobs – managerial, professional and technical – whilst unskilled manual work shrinks
• As a result of recession, unemployment increased by 93% between April 2008 and April 2010.  Unemployment rate now 4.1% (Great Britain 3.6%).
• 31% of all jobseekers are aged under 25
• Around 50,000 working age adults in Kirklees are 'workless' - without work, 21% of the total working age population in Kirklees

Future demographic changes

• More people in Kirklees – population will continue to grow in medium and long term
• Below average growth in number of 16-24 year olds in medium term
• Significantly more older people, living and working longer
• Minority ethnic population growing quicker than average – Asian population in particular
• In-migration increasing but at a  slower rate than during the last decade: possibly due to the impact of the limits on non-EU immigration
• In longer term, by 2026, 50,000 more residents and 25,000 more people in work

Labour Market Implications

• Employers will have proportionately fewer younger people to recruit from
• They will need to recruit and retain more:

• As work becomes more complex, skills base of all residents of working age will need to be improved and regularly updated

The Future World of Work

• In short to medium term, job opportunities will be scarce, particularly in public sector
• Work will continue to become more complex and require higher level skills
• All employees will need a wide range of good basic skills – more customer-based
• Manufacturing will continue to lose jobs but will remain important: stress on quality and innovation
• Unskilled manual jobs will continue to disappear
• Firms will need to innovate more and fund more research and development to remain competitive
• Employees will need to be more flexible and keep their skills updated.

Skills issues for Kirklees - supply side

• 8.6% of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training
• Attainment at Year 11 well below average in disadvantaged areas,
• particularly Ashbrow and Dewsbury West
• Kirklees working age population has higher than average attainment at NVQ Level 3 and above
• But fewer qualified to NVQ Level 1 and more with no qualifications
• 60% of unqualified adults are women
• Older people, some minority ethnic people and people with disabilities have fewer skills than the average population
• 30% of jobseekers are looking for unskilled work
• Coalition Government offering more Apprenticeships

Skills Issues for Kirklees - demand side

• Only 43% of local employers have a training plan
• Small firms particularly unlikely to be dealing with workforce skills issues
• 61% of local firms do not employ anybody under 25
• 10% of employers report skills gaps in current workforce
• Skill shortages appear to be less of an issue – traditionally found in manufacturing and construction sectors
• Not sure about employers’ priorities
• Need for good, current local data on skill needs of businesses – including their longer term requirements
• Need to improve the skills of labour force, particularly in growth business sectors such as creative and digital industries and in advanced manufacturing

In Kirklees, we need to:

• Ensure more Kirklees residents have the skills to anticipate and meet future challenges and opportunities
• Boost creativity and entrepreneurship, particularly from under-represented groups
• Help those at most disadvantage to close the gap
• Help local people benefit from local regeneration activity
• Continue to diversify the economy, but build on local manufacturing strengths and strategic location
• Stimulate job creation, particularly from the private sector
• Work with employers to learn more about their needs
• Develop Kirklees as a quality place to live and work
• Retain more local graduates
• Celebrate diversity and tackle workplace disadvantage

Reproduced by kind permission of Graham Lindsay, researcher with Kirklees Economic Development Service; August 2010