Area type
Region
Population
9,294,023
GDP
£318 billion
Average salary
£40,312
Labour force
5,863,643
Job Density
0.86
View trend
View trend
View breakdown
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South East England was worth an estimated £318 billion in 2020, according to figures published by the ONS. South East England's GDP growth between 2019 and 2020 was -2.7% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in South East England based on the number of jobs, accounting for 12.7% of roles in the area.
2020 ONS figures suggest that there are 4,850,000 jobs in South East England, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 5,863,643. The 2020 job density in South East England is 0.83, meaning there are 0.83 jobs per member of the South East England working-age population.
South East England had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £40,312 in 2022. South East England's unemployment rate is 3.3% as of 2022. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2020 labour force or working-age population in South East England is 5,863,643 or 63.1% of the total population.
In 2022, 96.7% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 12.9% are self-employed, and 87.1% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2021 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the South East England working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 45.2%, which is above the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 64% of the South East England working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: South East England Salary
The average salary in South East England as of 2022 is £40,312. Between 2021 and 2022, average salaries grew by £1,375. Compare average salaries by area.
South East England's salary growth rate is 3.53% per year based on changes in average salary between 2021 and 2022, which is 3.53% higher than the average salary growth rate in South East England over the past 9 years.
In South East England, the highest average wages are found in Windsor And Maidenhead where the average salary is £49,609 and the lowest average wages are found in Isle Of Wight where the average salary is £32,271. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £17,338 - the average person in Windsor And Maidenhead earns 53.7% more than the average person in Isle Of Wight.
Business data published by the ONS in 2021 show the most common job group in South East England is Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs, 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 South East England is Health & Social Care Assoc. Professionals, with roles increasing 50% between July 2021 and July 2022. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 428,700 | 9.4% | 16.2% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 421,400 | 9.2% | 0.1% |
| Administrative Occupations | 391,300 | 8.6% | 4.4% |
| Business, Media And Public Service Professionals | 381,600 | 8.4% | 30.3% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 370,200 | 8.1% | -7.3% |
There was a 1% 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 South East England is Health. Other major industries include Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in South East England.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the South East England economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
5% of the total jobs in South East England 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 | 546,000 | 12.7% |
| Retail | 431,000 | 10.1% |
| Education | 398,000 | 9.3% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 392,000 | 9.2% |
| Business Administration & Support Services | 379,000 | 8.8% |
The fastest-growing industry in South East England is Mining, Quarrying & Utilities, with jobs in the sector increasing 24% between 2020 and 2021 from 50,000 to 62,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in South East England between 2020 and 2021 was Agriculture, forestry & fishing, which saw an 11% decrease in roles, going from 61,000 to 54,000. 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 South East England, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 9% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
South East England Demographics
South East England Crime
Rental Market of South East England
2022 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 1,590 large businesses in South East England, 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 5,965 medium-sized businesses based in South East England, making up 1.4% 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 33,770 small businesses based in South East England, making up 8.2% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
South East England's unemployment rate is 3.3% that's 2% 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 26.9% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, long-term sick, 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 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics