South Yorkshire has proven its professional prowess as it scoops one of the highest levels of job growth in the UK.
A new report by the Resolution Foundation has revealed that in the decade since the financial crisis in 2008, employment in the region has risen by 6.5 percentage points to 71.7%, with the national average also growing to the highest level on record at 75.7%.
The growth in the national rate of employment is thought to have been driven by previously low-employed areas of the UK such as South Yorkshire and Merseyside ‘catching up’ over the past 10 years thanks to new business investments.
In Sheffield in particular, there has been a boom in recent years of investment from big manufacturing companies such as Boeing and Mclaren which have provided a job-injection to the region.
Further investments into Doncaster Sheffield Airport have also put the region on the map, garnering further interest from overseas investors.
Whilst currently on a high, whether this growth can be sustained long term is not clear, following reports in mid-2018 that Yorkshire has one of the lowest productivity rates in the country.
Rob Shaw, Managing Director at Glu Recruit commented: “It’s brilliant to see South Yorkshire stand out from other region’s for its growth and investment boom.
“Sheffield in particular is quickly becoming a hub for manufacturing and creative industries, with big businesses and start-ups alike taking root in the city.
“However, it’s vital that the region continues on this trajectory- recent reports from the Office for National Statistics indicate that productivity is at one of the lowest rates in the Sheffield City Region.
“But, if the region can turn round its employment rates like it has done, who is to say what position we will be in next year, particularly now that Mclaren and Boeing are thriving within the region.
“What I’d like to see now is a focus on getting the younger generation into the workforce, and employers should look to offering competitive salaries and benefits to attract them, as this will ultimately secure employment, and productivity for the future.”