Area type
County
Population
558,852
GDP
£11 billion
Average salary
£31,729
Labour force
318,101
Job Density
0.79
View trend
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View breakdown
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in East Sussex was worth an estimated £11 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. East Sussex's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.8% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in East Sussex based on the number of jobs, accounting for 18.0% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 250,000 jobs in East Sussex, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 318,101. The 2019 job density in East Sussex is 0.79, meaning there are 0.79 jobs per member of the East Sussex working-age population.
East Sussex had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £31,729 in 2021. East Sussex's unemployment rate is 6.1% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in East Sussex is 318,101 or 56.9% of the total population.
In 2021, 93.9% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 17.6% are self-employed, and 82.4% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the East Sussex working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 36.4%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 57% of the East Sussex working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 6% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: East Sussex Salary
The average salary in East Sussex as of 2021 is £31,729. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £617. Compare average salaries by area.
East Sussex's salary growth rate is 1.98% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 1.98% higher than the average salary growth rate in East Sussex over the past 9 years.
In East Sussex, the highest average wages are found in Lewes where the average salary is £33,927 and the lowest average wages are found in Hastings where the average salary is £27,182. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £6,745 - the average person in Lewes earns 24.8% more than the average person in Hastings.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in East Sussex is Caring Personal Service Occupations, accounting for 11% 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 Sussex is Skilled Agricultural And Related Trades, with roles increasing 187% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 26,600 | 10.5% | 12.2% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 22,600 | 9.0% | -7.8% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 22,400 | 8.9% | -13.8% |
| Administrative Occupations | 22,100 | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 13,800 | 5.5% | -34.6% |
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 East Sussex is Health. Other major industries include Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in East Sussex.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 2% of the East Sussex economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in East Sussex 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 | 34,000 | 18.0% |
| Retail | 20,000 | 10.6% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 17,000 | 9.0% |
| Education | 17,000 | 9.0% |
| Construction | 13,000 | 6.9% |
The fastest-growing industry in East Sussex is Property, with jobs in the sector increasing 14% between 2019 and 2020 from 3,500 to 4,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in East Sussex between 2019 and 2020 was Motor trades, which saw an 20% decrease in roles, going from 5,000 to 4,000. 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 Sussex, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 11% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
East Sussex Demographics
East Sussex Crime
Rental Market of East Sussex
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 50 large businesses in East Sussex, making up 0.2% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 280 medium-sized businesses based in East Sussex, making up 1.2% 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 1,840 small businesses based in East Sussex, making up 7.9% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
East Sussex's unemployment rate is 6.1% that's 1% higher 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 25.0% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: student, looking after family, 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.
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