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Economy of Shropshire

Area selected: Shropshire
  • England and Wales
  • England
  • West Midlands
  • Shropshire
Pie Chart
GDP per capita
£21,437

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People
Unemployment rate
4.1%

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Business
Major Industry
Health

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GDP per capita
Unemployment rate
GDP growth per capita
Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
324,716
GDP
£7 billion
Average salary
£35,540
Labour force
194,213
Job Density
0.81

Economy of Shropshire

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.

Compared to England's figures

  • The GDP value of Shropshire represents 0.4% of the English economy. Shropshire is the 28th unitary authority in England (of 59 total) when ordered by GDP, and the 52nd unitary authority in England (of 59 total) when ordered by GDP per capita.
  • The 156,000 jobs in Shropshire represents 0.5% of the 30,055,000 reported jobs in England. Shropshire is the 28th unitary authority in England (of 59 total) when ordered by total jobs, and the 40th unitary authority in England (of 59 total) when ordered by job density.
  • Shropshire's unemployment rate of 4.1% is 0.2% higher than the unemployment rate for England (3.9%).

Labour Market in Shropshire

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.

Qualifications

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

  • NVQ 4: Degree or equivalent.
  • NVQ 3: 2 or more A levels or equivalent
  • NVQ 2: 5 or more GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ 1: fewer than 5 GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ Other: includes foreign qualifications and some professional qualifications.

Salaries in Shropshire

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.

Average Salary
Salary Growth

Jobs in Shropshire

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%
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Industries in Shropshire

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%
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Industry growth in Shropshire

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.

Person
Average age
49

Shropshire Demographics Arrow Forward

Stats Chart
Crime rate (per 1,000 people)
5,551

Shropshire Crime Arrow Forward

Home
Average rent
£671

Rental Market of Shropshire Arrow Forward

Number of Businesses in 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.

Reasons for unemployment in Shropshire

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.

  • Student 27.9%
  • Looking After Family 19.7%
  • Long-term Sick 17.1%
  • Retired 22.2%
  • Other 9.2%

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Areas near Shropshire

Local Authority
Stoke-on-Trent
GDP per capita £26,728
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County
Staffordshire
GDP per capita £23,210
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County
Warwickshire
GDP per capita £35,614
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Local Authority
Telford and Wrekin
GDP per capita £28,562
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County
West Midlands County
GDP per capita £25,894
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County
Worcestershire
GDP per capita £26,535
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Local Authority
Herefordshire, County of
GDP per capita £22,726
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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

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