Area type
County
Population
713,085
GDP
£20 billion
Average salary
£34,606
Labour force
439,003
Job Density
0.81
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Leicestershire was worth an estimated £20 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Leicestershire's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 2.3% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Manufacturing industry is the largest in Leicestershire based on the number of jobs, accounting for 12.0% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 352,000 jobs in Leicestershire, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 439,003. The 2019 job density in Leicestershire is 0.80, meaning there are 0.80 jobs per member of the Leicestershire working-age population.
Leicestershire had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £34,606 in 2021. Leicestershire's unemployment rate is 5.5% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Leicestershire is 439,003 or 61.6% of the total population.
In 2021, 94.5% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 11.1% are self-employed, and 88.9% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Leicestershire working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 42.5%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 64% of the Leicestershire working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Leicestershire Salary
The average salary in Leicestershire as of 2021 is £34,606. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £712. Compare average salaries by area.
Leicestershire's salary growth rate is 2.10% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 2.10% higher than the average salary growth rate in Leicestershire over the past 9 years.
In Leicestershire, the highest average wages are found in North West Leicestershire where the average salary is £38,210 and the lowest average wages are found in Melton where the average salary is £26,428. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £11,782 - the average person in North West Leicestershire earns 44.6% more than the average person in Melton.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Leicestershire is Corporate Managers And Directors, 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 Leicestershire is Leisure, Travel And Related Personal Service Occs, with roles increasing 178% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 32,300 | 9.3% | -19.0% |
| Administrative Occupations | 32,000 | 9.2% | 4.6% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 28,100 | 8.1% | -12.7% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 27,600 | 7.9% | 1.8% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 26,800 | 7.7% | 2.3% |
There was a 0% 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 Leicestershire is Manufacturing. Other major industries include Professional, Scientific & Technical, which represents over 10% of roles in Leicestershire.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 2% of the Leicestershire economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in Leicestershire 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 | 39,000 | 12.0% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 35,000 | 10.8% |
| Transport & Storage | 32,000 | 9.8% |
| Retail | 27,000 | 8.3% |
| Education | 27,000 | 8.3% |
The fastest-growing industry in Leicestershire is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 43% between 2019 and 2020 from 7,000 to 10,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Leicestershire between 2019 and 2020 was Public administration & defence, which saw an 17% decrease in roles, going from 12,000 to 10,000. 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 Leicestershire, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 43% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Leicestershire Demographics
Leicestershire Crime
Rental Market of Leicestershire
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 115 large businesses in Leicestershire, 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 495 medium-sized businesses based in Leicestershire, making up 1.6% 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 2,595 small businesses based in Leicestershire, making up 8.6% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Leicestershire's unemployment rate is 5.5% that's 0% 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 Student, representing 30.0% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, long-term sick, 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