Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
247,256
GDP
£8 billion
Average salary
£40,846
Labour force
170,918
Job Density
0.75
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Southampton was worth an estimated £8 billion in 2020, according to figures published by the ONS. Southampton's GDP growth between 2019 and 2020 was -7.8% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Southampton based on the number of jobs, accounting for 21.9% of roles in the area.
2020 ONS figures suggest that there are 129,000 jobs in Southampton, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 170,918. The 2020 job density in Southampton is 0.75, meaning there are 0.75 jobs per member of the Southampton working-age population.
Southampton had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £40,846 in 2022. Southampton's unemployment rate is 3.5% as of 2022. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2020 labour force or working-age population in Southampton is 170,918 or 69.1% of the total population.
In 2022, 96.5% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 10.3% are self-employed, and 89.7% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2021 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Southampton working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 43.5%, which is above the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 64% of the Southampton working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Southampton Salary
The average salary in Southampton as of 2022 is £40,846. Between 2021 and 2022, average salaries grew by £2,274. Compare average salaries by area.
Southampton's salary growth rate is 5.90% per year based on changes in average salary between 2021 and 2022, which is 5.90% higher than the average salary growth rate in Southampton over the past 8 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2021 show the most common job group in Southampton is Administrative Occupations, accounting for 10% 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 Southampton is Skilled Metal, Electrical And Electronic Trades, with roles increasing 258% between July 2021 and July 2022. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Occupations | 13,200 | 9.6% | 20.0% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 12,900 | 9.3% | 5.7% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 10,800 | 7.8% | -17.6% |
| Business, Media And Public Service Professionals | 10,700 | 7.8% | 57.4% |
| Teaching And Educational Professionals | 8,000 | 5.8% | 0.0% |
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 Southampton is Health. Other major industries include Retail, Education, which represents over 10% of roles in Southampton.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the Southampton economy that's higher than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in Southampton 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 | 25,000 | 21.9% |
| Retail | 12,000 | 10.5% |
| Education | 12,000 | 10.5% |
| Business Administration & Support Services | 10,000 | 8.8% |
| Transport & Storage | 9,000 | 7.9% |
The fastest-growing industry in Southampton is Mining, Quarrying & Utilities, with jobs in the sector increasing 43% between 2020 and 2021 from 700 to 1,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Southampton between 2020 and 2021 was Arts, entertainment, recreation & other services, which saw an 20% decrease in roles, going from 5,000 to 4,000. 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 Southampton, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Southampton Demographics
Southampton Crime
Rental Market of Southampton
2022 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 35 large businesses in Southampton, 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 90 medium-sized businesses based in Southampton, making up 1.1% 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 630 small businesses based in Southampton, 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.
Southampton's unemployment rate is 3.5% 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 35.4% 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 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics