Area type
Metropolitan County
Population
2,345,235
GDP
£65 billion
Average salary
£34,041
Labour force
1,473,319
Job Density
0.84
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in West Yorkshire was worth an estimated £65 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. West Yorkshire's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.3% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in West Yorkshire based on the number of jobs, accounting for 13.2% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 1,223,000 jobs in West Yorkshire, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 1,473,319. The 2019 job density in West Yorkshire is 0.83, meaning there are 0.83 jobs per member of the West Yorkshire working-age population.
West Yorkshire had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £34,041 in 2021. West Yorkshire's unemployment rate is 5.0% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in West Yorkshire is 1,473,319 or 62.8% of the total population.
In 2021, 95.0% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 11.0% are self-employed, and 89.0% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the West Yorkshire working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 37.6%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 58% of the West Yorkshire working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 8% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: West Yorkshire Salary
The average salary in West Yorkshire as of 2021 is £34,041. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £314. Compare average salaries by area.
West Yorkshire's salary growth rate is -0.91% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 0.91% lower than the average salary growth rate in West Yorkshire over the past 9 years.
In West Yorkshire, the highest average wages are found in Leeds where the average salary is £35,896 and the lowest average wages are found in Bradford where the average salary is £31,698. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £4,198 - the average person in Leeds earns 13.2% more than the average person in Bradford.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in West Yorkshire is Administrative Occupations, 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 West Yorkshire is Business, Media And Public Service Professionals, with roles increasing 46% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Occupations | 100,100 | 9.1% | 21.2% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 89,400 | 8.1% | -11.1% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 88,100 | 8.0% | -1.0% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 85,800 | 7.8% | -10.3% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 84,300 | 7.6% | 8.8% |
There was a 2% 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 West Yorkshire is Health. Other major industries include Business Administration & Support, which represents over 10% of roles in West Yorkshire.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 4% of the West Yorkshire economy that's higher than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in West Yorkshire 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 | 141,000 | 13.2% |
| Business Administration & Support | 110,000 | 10.3% |
| Manufacturing | 105,000 | 9.8% |
| Education | 100,000 | 9.4% |
| Retail | 88,000 | 8.2% |
The fastest-growing industry in West Yorkshire is Business Administration & Support, with jobs in the sector increasing 12% between 2019 and 2020 from 98,000 to 110,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in West Yorkshire between 2019 and 2020 was Retail, which saw an 12% decrease in roles, going from 100,000 to 88,000. 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 West Yorkshire, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 11% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
West Yorkshire Demographics
West Yorkshire Crime
Rental Market of West Yorkshire
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 370 large businesses in West Yorkshire, making up 0.5% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 1,395 medium-sized businesses based in West Yorkshire, making up 1.7% 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 7,445 small businesses based in West Yorkshire, making up 9.2% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
West Yorkshire's unemployment rate is 5.0% 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 31.7% 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 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics