Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
66,726
GDP
£2.1 billion
Average salary
£40,417
Labour force
40,394
Job Density
0.80
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Barrow-in-Furness was worth an estimated £2.1 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Barrow-in-Furness's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 6.0% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Manufacturing industry is the largest in Barrow-in-Furness based on the number of jobs, accounting for 29.7% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 33,000 jobs in Barrow-in-Furness, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 40,394. The 2019 job density in Barrow-in-Furness is 0.82, meaning there are 0.82 jobs per member of the Barrow-in-Furness working-age population.
Barrow-in-Furness had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £40,417 in 2021. Barrow-in-Furness's unemployment rate is 4.7% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Barrow-in-Furness is 40,394 or 60.5% of the total population.
In 2021, 95.3% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 4.1% are self-employed, and 95.9% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Barrow-in-Furness working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 32.9%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 54% of the Barrow-in-Furness working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 8% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Barrow-in-Furness Salary
The average salary in Barrow-in-Furness as of 2021 is £40,417. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £2,205. Compare average salaries by area.
Barrow-in-Furness's salary growth rate is 5.77% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 5.77% higher than the average salary growth rate in Barrow-in-Furness over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Barrow-in-Furness is Elementary Administration & Service Occs, accounting for 18% of all roles in the area. In England as a whole, the largest job group is Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals.
The fastest-growing type of job in Barrow-in-Furness is Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals, with roles increasing 122% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 3,900 | 18.0% | 14.7% |
| Administrative Occupations | 2,900 | 13.4% | 11.5% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 2,500 | 11.5% | 38.9% |
| Sales Occupations | 2,200 | 10.1% | 10.0% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 2,000 | 9.2% | 122.2% |
There was a 3% decrease in roles between 2019 and 2020. In England as a whole, there was a 2% decrease.
Based on the total number of jobs, the largest industry in Barrow-in-Furness is Manufacturing. Other major industries include Retail, Health, which represents over 10% of roles in Barrow-in-Furness.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Barrow-in-Furness economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
2% of the total jobs in Barrow-in-Furness are in Information and Communication, one of the key sectors for the future, below the 5% of jobs in England as a whole.
Industry | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 9,000 | 29.7% |
| Health | 4,500 | 14.8% |
| Retail | 4,000 | 13.2% |
| Education | 2,000 | 6.6% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1,750 | 5.8% |
The fastest-growing industry in Barrow-in-Furness is Mining, Quarrying & Utilities, with jobs in the sector increasing 50% between 2019 and 2020 from 600 to 900. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Barrow-in-Furness between 2019 and 2020 was Professional, scientific & technical, which saw an 29% decrease in roles, going from 1,750 to 1,250. In England more broadly the industry with the biggest year on year decline was Arts, entertainment & recreation, with roles decreasing by 8%.
The Information and communication industry includes many of the top companies of the future. In Barrow-in-Furness, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 25% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Barrow-in-Furness Demographics
Barrow-in-Furness Crime
Rental Market of Barrow-in-Furness
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 5 large businesses in Barrow-in-Furness, making up 0.3% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 20 medium-sized businesses based in Barrow-in-Furness, making up 1.1% of total businesses - in England, 1.5% of businesses are medium-sized. A medium-sized business is defined as having between 50 and 249 employees.
There are 175 small businesses based in Barrow-in-Furness, making up 9.5% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Barrow-in-Furness's unemployment rate is 4.7% that's 0% lower than the average unemployment rate for England as a whole. Unemployment rates are the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the working-age population.
The main group within the unemployment population is Long-term Sick, representing 44.8% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: student, retired, all of which represent over 10% of the unemployed population.
In England as a whole, students are the main group within the unemployed population, accounting for 28.9% of the unemployed population.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics