We look at the current economic climate’s effects on employment opportunities and trends in South West England
What does the ongoing recession mean for jobs in Bradley Stoke and the greater South Western region? With Chancellor George Osborne announcing the budget this week, eyes and minds are all on business, taxes, and how to balance the books in the face of an economic downturn which is stubborn in picking up.
As one of the largest regions in the UK, summarizing the jobs market for the South West is difficult, stretching as it does from the southernmost tip of Cornwall up to the top of Gloucestershire.
Surveying the opportunities on Reed jobs, you’ll see that some of the region’s growing opportunities are in tertiary industries such as sales and marketing, with IT and telecoms jobs also included in some of the 3,000 opportunities on the jobs website.
The South West contains the second lowest tally of unemployment benefits claimants in the country – only South East England beats its rate of 2.7%. For much of the twentieth century, the south west region has been famous for its edible products, such as Cheddar cheese, cider and Cornish pasties, and whilst its gastronomic and leisure attractions (from the Roman Baths in Bath to Glastonbury Festival) remain big employers, they’re very much seasonal.
When it comes to new industries, the focus of the region is on Bristol, particularly for towns such as Bradley Stoke, located as it is in close proximity to the region’s busiest urban district. Bristol, as with all of the region, from Plymouth to Bournemouth, was built on trade and manufacture. Prior to the twentieth century, this centred around shipping and maritime construction.
Whilst trade is still at the heart of the South West’s job opportunities today – it has changed to reflect the modernity of our time. Some of the biggest regional opportunities are with auto, aviation and logistical technologies. As Bristol the city becomes too populated for situating globally-operating companies and warehouses, the outlying towns in the region are scooping up opportunities.
Bradley Stoke’s Aztec West houses Orange United Kingdom (mobile phone technologies) and the Environment Agency, and nearby Stoke Gifford is home to a site of computer manufacturers HP. Again, job hunters with experience in IT logistics, sales (specifically in the new technologies) and management will find plenty to whet their appetite in Bradley Stoke.
