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Economy of East England

Area selected: East England
  • England and Wales
  • England
  • East
  • Bedford
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Central Bedfordshire
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
  • Luton
  • Norfolk
  • Peterborough
  • Southend-on-Sea
  • Suffolk
  • Thurrock
Pie Chart
GDP per capita
£28,814

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People
Unemployment rate
3.0%

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Business
Major Industry
Health

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GDP per capita
Unemployment rate
GDP growth per capita
Area type
Region
Population
6,348,096
GDP
£183 billion
Average salary
£38,263
Labour force
3,983,354
Job Density
0.85

Economy of East England

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in East England was worth an estimated £183 billion in 2020, according to figures published by the ONS. East England's GDP growth between 2019 and 2020 was -4.2% per year. Compare GDP by area.

The Health industry is the largest in East England based on the number of jobs, accounting for 11.9% of roles in the area.

2020 ONS figures suggest that there are 3,243,000 jobs in East England, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 3,983,354. The 2020 job density in East England is 0.81, meaning there are 0.81 jobs per member of the East England working-age population.

East England had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £38,263 in 2022. East England's unemployment rate is 3.0% as of 2022. Compare unemployment rate by area.

Compared to England's figures

  • The GDP value of East England represents 9.8% of the English economy. East England is the 4th region in England (of 9 total) when ordered by GDP, and the 3rd region in England (of 9 total) when ordered by GDP per capita.
  • The 3,243,000 jobs in East England represents 10.8% of the 30,055,000 reported jobs in England. East England is the 4th region in England (of 9 total) when ordered by total jobs, and the 4th region in England (of 9 total) when ordered by job density.
  • East England's unemployment rate of 3.0% is 0.9% lower than the unemployment rate for England (3.9%).

Labour Market

The 2020 labour force or working-age population in East England is 3,983,354 or 62.7% of the total population.

In 2022, 97.0% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 12.1% are self-employed, and 87.9% are employees.

Qualifications

The Annual Population Survey for 2021 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the East England working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 39.6%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.

Over 58% of the East England working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 6% have no qualifications.

Qualifications classifications

  • NVQ 4: Degree or equivalent.
  • NVQ 3: 2 or more A levels or equivalent
  • NVQ 2: 5 or more GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ 1: fewer than 5 GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ Other: includes foreign qualifications and some professional qualifications.

Salaries in East England

Main page: East England Salary

The average salary in East England as of 2022 is £38,263. Between 2021 and 2022, average salaries grew by £1,439. Compare average salaries by area.

East England's salary growth rate is 3.91% per year based on changes in average salary between 2021 and 2022, which is 3.91% higher than the average salary growth rate in East England over the past 9 years.

In East England, the highest average wages are found in Hertfordshire where the average salary is £41,423 and the lowest average wages are found in Southend-on-sea where the average salary is £31,609. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £9,814 - the average person in Hertfordshire earns 31.0% more than the average person in Southend-on-sea.

Average Salary
Salary Growth

Jobs in East England

Business data published by the ONS in 2021 show the most common job group in East England is Administrative Occupations, accounting for 9% 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 East England is Health & Social Care Assoc. Professionals, with roles increasing 58% between July 2021 and July 2022. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.

Occupation
Number
Percentage
CHANGE
Administrative Occupations 282,700 9.2% -1.1%
Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs 259,400 8.4% 24.4%
Elementary Administration & Service Occs 237,300 7.7% 9.4%
Business, Media And Public Service Professionals 228,300 7.4% 26.6%
Corporate Managers And Directors 228,100 7.4% -10.5%
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Industries in East England

There was a 2% increase in roles between 2020 and 2021. In England as a whole, there was a 3% decrease.

Based on the total number of jobs, the largest industry in East England is Health. Other major industries include Business Administration & Support Services, which represents over 10% of roles in East England.

Financial & Insurance companies make up 2% of the East England economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).

4% of the total jobs in East England 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
Health 347,000 11.9%
Business Administration & Support Services 339,000 11.6%
Education 270,000 9.2%
Retail 268,000 9.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical 266,000 9.1%
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Industry growth in East England

The fastest-growing industry in East England is Business Administration & Support Services, with jobs in the sector increasing 13% between 2020 and 2021 from 300,000 to 339,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.

The industry with the biggest decline in East England between 2020 and 2021 was Mining, quarrying & utilities, which saw an 18% decrease in roles, going from 33,000 to 27,000. 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 East England, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 6% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.

Person
Average age
42

East England Demographics Arrow Forward

Stats Chart
Crime rate (per 1,000 people)
7,551

East England Crime Arrow Forward

Home
Average rent
£962

Rental Market of East England Arrow Forward

Number of Businesses in East England

2022 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 955 large businesses in East England, making up 0.4% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.

There are 3,975 medium-sized businesses based in East England, making up 1.5% 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 22,415 small businesses based in East England, making up 8.2% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.

Reasons for unemployment in East England

East England's unemployment rate is 3.0% that's 2% 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 Student, representing 24.8% of the unemployed population.

Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, long-term sick, retired, other, 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.

  • Student 24.8%
  • Looking After Family 21.2%
  • Temporary Sick 1.9%
  • Long-term Sick 22.5%
  • Retired 17.0%
  • Other 12.6%

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Areas near East England

Region
East Midlands
GDP per capita £25,955
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Region
London
GDP per capita £55,974
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Region
North West
GDP per capita £28,257
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Region
North East
GDP per capita £23,109
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Region
South East
GDP per capita £34,516
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Region
South West
GDP per capita £28,013
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Region
West Midlands
GDP per capita £26,281
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Region
Yorkshire and the Humber
GDP per capita £25,697
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Areas in East England

Local Authority
Bedford
GDP per capita £27,438
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County
Cambridgeshire
GDP per capita £33,681
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Local Authority
Central Bedfordshire
GDP per capita £22,584
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County
Essex
GDP per capita £26,507
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County
Hertfordshire
GDP per capita £37,472
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Local Authority
Luton
GDP per capita £28,273
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County
Norfolk
GDP per capita £23,999
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Local Authority
Peterborough
GDP per capita £35,425
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Local Authority
Southend-on-Sea
GDP per capita £19,516
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County
Suffolk
GDP per capita £27,940
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Local Authority
Thurrock
GDP per capita £27,636
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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics

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