Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
325,415
GDP
£7.3 billion
Average salary
£33,127
Labour force
191,066
Job Density
0.86
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Shropshire was worth an estimated £7.3 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Shropshire's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 1.6% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Shropshire based on the number of jobs, accounting for 13.9% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 163,000 jobs in Shropshire, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 191,066. The 2019 job density in Shropshire is 0.85, meaning there are 0.85 jobs per member of the Shropshire working-age population.
Shropshire had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £33,127 in 2021. Shropshire's unemployment rate is 1.9% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Shropshire is 191,066 or 58.7% of the total population.
In 2021, 98.1% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 18.6% are self-employed, and 81.4% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Shropshire working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 39.3%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 60% of the Shropshire working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Shropshire Salary
The average salary in Shropshire as of 2021 is £33,127. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £185. Compare average salaries by area.
Shropshire's salary growth rate is 0.56% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 0.56% higher than the average salary growth rate in Shropshire over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Shropshire is Corporate Managers And Directors, 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 Shropshire is Administrative Occupations, with roles increasing 76% 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 | 15,900 | 10.7% | 17.8% |
| Administrative Occupations | 13,700 | 9.2% | 75.6% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 13,600 | 9.2% | -2.2% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 9,800 | 6.6% | -6.7% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 9,100 | 6.1% | -6.2% |
There was a 1% 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 Shropshire is Health.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Shropshire economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
2% of the total jobs in Shropshire 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 | 19,000 | 13.9% |
| Retail | 13,000 | 9.5% |
| Manufacturing | 12,000 | 8.8% |
| Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 11,000 | 8.1% |
| Education | 11,000 | 8.1% |
The fastest-growing industry in Shropshire is Business Administration & Support, with jobs in the sector increasing 33% between 2019 and 2020 from 6,000 to 8,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Shropshire between 2019 and 2020 was Accommodation & food services, which saw an 23% decrease in roles, going from 13,000 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 Shropshire, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Shropshire Demographics
Shropshire Crime
Rental Market of Shropshire
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 45 large businesses in Shropshire, making up 0.3% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 195 medium-sized businesses based in Shropshire, 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 1,225 small businesses based in Shropshire, making up 7.8% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Shropshire's unemployment rate is 1.9% that's 3% 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 Long-term Sick, representing 25.5% 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