Area type
Country
Population
59,719,724
GDP
£2 trillion
Average salary
£38,536
Labour force
37,172,145
Job Density
0.88
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View trend
View breakdown
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in England and Wales was worth an estimated £2 trillion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. England and Wales's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.5% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in England and Wales based on the number of jobs, accounting for 13.0% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 32,490,000 jobs in England and Wales, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 37,172,145. The 2019 job density in England and Wales is 0.87, meaning there are 0.87 jobs per member of the England and Wales working-age population.
England and Wales had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £38,536 in 2021. England and Wales's unemployment rate is 5.2% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in England and Wales is 37,172,145 or 62.2% of the total population.
In 2021, 94.8% of the labour market was recorded as employed. Of those employed, 12.9% are self-employed, and 87.1% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the England and Wales working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 42.6%
Over 61% of the England and Wales working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 6% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: England and Wales Salary
The average salary in England and Wales as of 2021 is £38,536. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £516. Compare average salaries by area.
England and Wales's salary growth rate is -1.32% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 1.32% lower than the average salary growth rate in England and Wales over the past 9 years.
In England and Wales, the highest average wages are found in England where the average salary is £38,876 and the lowest average wages are found in Wales where the average salary is £31,856. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £7,020 - the average person in England earns 22.0% more than the average person in Wales.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in England and Wales is Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals, accounting for 8% of all roles in the area.
The fastest-growing type of job in England and Wales is Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs, with roles increasing 13% between July 2020 and July 2021.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 2,394,600 | 8.4% | 5.9% |
| Administrative Occupations | 2,378,100 | 8.4% | 6.1% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 2,319,500 | 8.2% | -5.8% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 2,118,200 | 7.4% | -13.4% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 2,044,500 | 7.2% | -1.5% |
There was a 2% decrease in roles between 2019 and 2020.
Based on the total number of jobs, the largest industry in England and Wales is Health.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the England and Wales economy.
4% of the total jobs in England and Wales are in Information and Communication - one of the key sectors for the future.
Industry | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 3,637,000 | 13.0% |
| Retail | 2,592,000 | 9.3% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 2,500,000 | 8.9% |
| Education | 2,433,000 | 8.7% |
| Business Administration & Support | 2,431,000 | 8.7% |
The fastest-growing industry in England and Wales is Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing, with jobs in the sector increasing 6% between 2019 and 2020 from 400,000 to 424,000.
The industry with the biggest decline in England and Wales between 2019 and 2020 was Motor trades, which saw an 8% decrease in roles, going from 549,000 to 503,000.
The Information and communication industry includes many of the top companies of the future. In England and Wales, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 1% over the past year.
England and Wales Demographics
England and Wales Crime
Rental Market of England and Wales
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 9,620 large businesses in England and Wales, making up 0.4% of total businesses. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 37,755 medium-sized businesses based in England and Wales, making up 1.5% of total businesses. A medium-sized business is defined as having between 50 and 249 employees.
There are 208,630 small businesses based in England and Wales, making up 8.3% of total businesses. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
England and Wales's unemployment rate is 5.2% 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 28.8% 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.
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