Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
324,716
GDP
£7 billion
Average salary
£35,540
Labour force
194,213
Job Density
0.81
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Shropshire was worth an estimated £7 billion in 2020, according to figures published by the ONS. Shropshire's GDP growth between 2019 and 2020 was -4.3% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Shropshire based on the number of jobs, accounting for 16.4% of roles in the area.
2020 ONS figures suggest that there are 156,000 jobs in Shropshire, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 194,213. The 2020 job density in Shropshire is 0.80, meaning there are 0.80 jobs per member of the Shropshire working-age population.
Shropshire had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £35,540 in 2022. Shropshire's unemployment rate is 4.1% as of 2022. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2020 labour force or working-age population in Shropshire is 194,213 or 59.8% of the total population.
In 2022, 95.9% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 17.5% are self-employed, and 82.5% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2021 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Shropshire working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 41.8%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 61% 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 2022 is £35,540. Between 2021 and 2022, average salaries grew by £2,413. Compare average salaries by area.
Shropshire's salary growth rate is 7.28% per year based on changes in average salary between 2021 and 2022, which is 7.28% higher than the average salary growth rate in Shropshire over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2021 show the most common job group in Shropshire 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 Shropshire is Sales Occupations, with roles increasing 72% between July 2021 and July 2022. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 12,600 | 8.7% | -20.8% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 11,200 | 7.7% | 23.1% |
| Teaching And Educational Professionals | 11,200 | 7.7% | 45.5% |
| Administrative Occupations | 9,600 | 6.6% | -29.9% |
| Health Professionals | 9,200 | 6.3% | 17.9% |
There was a 3% increase in roles between 2020 and 2021. In England as a whole, there was a 3% 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 | 23,000 | 16.4% |
| Retail | 13,000 | 9.3% |
| Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 12,000 | 8.5% |
| Manufacturing | 12,000 | 8.5% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 11,000 | 7.8% |
The fastest-growing industry in Shropshire is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 40% between 2020 and 2021 from 2,500 to 3,500. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Shropshire between 2020 and 2021 was Financial & insurance, which saw an 33% decrease in roles, going from 1,500 to 1,000. 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 risen by 40% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Shropshire Demographics
Shropshire Crime
Rental Market of Shropshire
2022 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 40 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 200 medium-sized businesses based in Shropshire, making up 1.3% 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 1,285 small businesses based in Shropshire, making up 8.1% 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 4.1% that's 1% 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 27.9% 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 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics