Area type
Metropolitan District
Population
264,984
GDP
£5.8 billion
Average salary
£34,547
Labour force
161,162
Job Density
0.69
View trend
View trend
View breakdown
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Rotherham was worth an estimated £5.8 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Rotherham's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 2.8% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Manufacturing industry is the largest in Rotherham based on the number of jobs, accounting for 14.5% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 112,000 jobs in Rotherham, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 161,162. The 2019 job density in Rotherham is 0.69, meaning there are 0.69 jobs per member of the Rotherham working-age population.
Rotherham had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £34,547 in 2021. Rotherham's unemployment rate is 5.8% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Rotherham is 161,162 or 60.8% of the total population.
In 2021, 94.2% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 15.6% are self-employed, and 84.4% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Rotherham working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 34.0%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 58% of the Rotherham working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 3% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Rotherham Salary
The average salary in Rotherham as of 2021 is £34,547. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £744. Compare average salaries by area.
Rotherham's salary growth rate is -2.11% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 2.11% lower than the average salary growth rate in Rotherham over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Rotherham is Caring Personal Service 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 Rotherham is Textiles, Printing And Other Skilled Trades, with roles increasing 80% 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 | 11,300 | 9.2% | -5.0% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 10,400 | 8.4% | 67.7% |
| Administrative Occupations | 9,100 | 7.4% | -6.2% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 9,100 | 7.4% | 31.9% |
| Sales Occupations | 7,800 | 6.3% | 39.3% |
There was a 1% increase 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 Rotherham is Manufacturing. Other major industries include Health, which represents over 10% of roles in Rotherham.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Rotherham economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in Rotherham 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 | 15,000 | 14.5% |
| Health | 13,000 | 12.5% |
| Business Administration & Support | 10,000 | 9.6% |
| Retail | 9,000 | 8.7% |
| Education | 9,000 | 8.7% |
The fastest-growing industry in Rotherham is Mining, Quarrying & Utilities, with jobs in the sector increasing 67% between 2019 and 2020 from 1,500 to 2,500. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Rotherham between 2019 and 2020 was Property, which saw an 22% decrease in roles, going from 900 to 700. 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 Rotherham, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 14% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Rotherham Demographics
Rotherham Crime
Rental Market of Rotherham
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 30 large businesses in Rotherham, 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 145 medium-sized businesses based in Rotherham, making up 1.9% 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 740 small businesses based in Rotherham, making up 9.6% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Rotherham's unemployment rate is 5.8% 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 25.7% 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