Area type
Metropolitan District
Population
262,697
GDP
£8.9 billion
Average salary
£36,176
Labour force
172,890
Job Density
0.89
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Salford was worth an estimated £8.9 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Salford's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 4.4% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Salford based on the number of jobs, accounting for 11.6% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 151,000 jobs in Salford, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 172,890. The 2019 job density in Salford is 0.87, meaning there are 0.87 jobs per member of the Salford working-age population.
Salford had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £36,176 in 2021. Salford's unemployment rate is 4.9% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Salford is 172,890 or 65.8% of the total population.
In 2021, 95.1% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 7.3% are self-employed, and 92.7% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Salford working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 42.3%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 60% of the Salford working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 7% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Salford Salary
The average salary in Salford as of 2021 is £36,176. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £4,537. Compare average salaries by area.
Salford's salary growth rate is -11.14% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 11.14% lower than the average salary growth rate in Salford over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Salford is Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals, accounting for 14% 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 Salford is Sales Occupations, with roles increasing 53% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 17,200 | 14.1% | 4.2% |
| Administrative Occupations | 11,200 | 9.2% | 1.8% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 9,700 | 8.0% | -34.5% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 9,100 | 7.5% | 28.2% |
| Business, Media And Public Service Professionals | 9,100 | 7.5% | 35.8% |
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 Salford is Health. Other major industries include Business Administration & Support, which represents over 10% of roles in Salford.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 4% of the Salford economy that's higher than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
8% of the total jobs in Salford are in Information and Communication, one of the key sectors for the future, above the 5% of jobs in England as a whole.
Industry | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 16,000 | 11.6% |
| Business Administration & Support | 15,000 | 10.9% |
| Education | 12,000 | 8.7% |
| Retail | 11,000 | 8.0% |
| Information & Communication | 11,000 | 8.0% |
The fastest-growing industry in Salford is Property, with jobs in the sector increasing 33% between 2019 and 2020 from 3,000 to 4,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Salford between 2019 and 2020 was Agriculture, forestry & fishing, which saw an 30% decrease in roles, going from 250 to 175. 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 Salford, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Salford Demographics
Rental Market of Salford
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 40 large businesses in Salford, 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 165 medium-sized businesses based in Salford, 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 870 small businesses based in Salford, making up 8.0% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Salford's unemployment rate is 4.9% that's 0% 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 32.2% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, long-term sick, 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