Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
252,872
GDP
£8.7 billion
Average salary
£38,572
Labour force
171,856
Job Density
0.77
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Southampton was worth an estimated £8.7 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Southampton's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was -0.4% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Southampton based on the number of jobs, accounting for 21.8% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 132,000 jobs in Southampton, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 171,856. The 2019 job density in Southampton is 0.77, meaning there are 0.77 jobs per member of the Southampton working-age population.
Southampton had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £38,572 in 2021. Southampton's unemployment rate is 4.9% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Southampton is 171,856 or 68.0% of the total population.
In 2021, 95.1% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 10.2% are self-employed, and 89.8% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 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 66% of the Southampton working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: Southampton Salary
The average salary in Southampton as of 2021 is £38,572. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £588. Compare average salaries by area.
Southampton's salary growth rate is 1.55% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 1.55% higher than the average salary growth rate in Southampton over the past 8 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Southampton is Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs, 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 Business, Media And Public Service Professionals, with roles increasing 70% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 13,100 | 9.8% | 44.0% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 12,200 | 9.1% | -21.3% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 11,300 | 8.4% | 17.7% |
| Administrative Occupations | 11,000 | 8.2% | 19.6% |
| Sales Occupations | 8,900 | 6.6% | 7.2% |
There was a 5% 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 Southampton is Health. Other major industries include 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 | 24,000 | 21.8% |
| Education | 13,000 | 11.8% |
| Retail | 11,000 | 10.0% |
| Business Administration & Support | 9,000 | 8.2% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 8,000 | 7.3% |
The fastest-growing industry in Southampton is Property, with jobs in the sector increasing 20% between 2019 and 2020 from 1,250 to 1,500. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Southampton between 2019 and 2020 was Agriculture, forestry & fishing, which saw an 33% decrease in roles, going from 150 to 100. 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 14% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Southampton Demographics
Southampton Crime
Rental Market of Southampton
2021 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 100 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 595 small businesses based in Southampton, making up 6.8% 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 4.9% that's 0% 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 37.2% 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 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics