Look at north-west England

The north-west of England has an area of 14,165 square kilometres. With nearly 7 million inhabitants in more than 3 million households (over 11 per cent of the UK total) it has the second largest population of the UK’s regions and (at 480 persons per square kilometre) is three times more densely populated than the European average. Its £60 billion economy is larger than those of a number of European member states. This economy is rooted in the chemical, textile, engineering, and food and drink manufacturing industries, which together account for 75 per cent of its manufacturing output. Tourism has an increasing role to play, with over 15 million tourists annually experiencing the region.

Once the home of the Industrial Revolution, the north-west has developed at a rapid pace and is based on a real partnership between the public and private sectors. Inward investment continues to rise, bolstered by the expansion of Manchester Airport and John Lennon Liverpool Airport, the fastest-growing regional airport in Europe. Manufacturing output has risen at only half the rate of the UK as a whole, while key growth areas like the electrical, optical, pulp, paper and publishing sectors are under-represented. The service sector is increasing in importance, and accounts for over 48 per cent of all employment – still slightly less than in the rest of the country.

Regional gross value added (GVA) is more than 10 per cent of the UK total, with GVA per head around 90 per cent of the UK average. The workforce of well over 3 million has an unemployment rate (at around 5 per cent) that is comparable with figures for the whole UK, with a higher proportion of full-time workers and fewer self-employed than in the rest of the country. Average earnings are 92 per cent of those for the UK as a whole, but living costs are significantly lower than those of other crowded regions.

A total of 85 per cent of the region’s 250,000-plus business sites employ between one and 50 individuals, with research and development funding at a high level compared with other UK regions. Its large companies include 1,700 that are overseas owned and 75 per cent of the UK’s top 100 enterprises.

With nearly 4,000 schools, the region has 15 per cent of the English total, while 62 further-education colleges and 15 higher-education institutions (the largest concentration of universities in Europe) support a growing number of students. However, skill levels are generally low, making one in five skilled job vacancies difficult to fill, 20 per cent of employees not having the right skills for the job.

More than 2,500 square kilometres are designated as Green Belt, with a further 261,000 hectares of National Park. This supports nearly 1.5 million overseas visitors spending £466 million. Top attractions are Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Chester Zoo, Southport Pleasureland, Chester Cathedral, Lake Windermere and The Lowry. Manchester and Liverpool also attract visitors, while sports clubs are thriving.

Opportunities and skills shortages

Sectors growing fast include: energy, water, public administration, distribution, hotels and restaurants, construction, real estate, business services, education, and health and social work. There is constant demand for construction trades such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters.

The engineering and manufacturing sectors face recruitment and training challenges as a result of skills shortages. There are opportunities in distribution and transport, including drivers, mechanics and people in supervisory positions. Business and other services, particularly in the retail and leisure sectors, also offer employment. The ICT industry may be recovering, while security companies are always looking for suitable employees.

Employers

East Manchester and Liverpool city centre are crucial to the economic regeneration of the region. Two urban regeneration companies are leading co-ordinated regeneration of these areas. The north-west contains such major companies as Adidas, Astra-Zeneca, Brother, BT, BUPA, Centrica, Colgate-Palmolive, Co-op Financial Services, Fujitsu, Granada, Hewlett Packard, Heinz, IBM, ICL/Fujitsu, Kellogg’s, Rank Hovis, Royal Bank of Scotland, Sharp, Siemens and Sun Micro Systems. By 2015, Manchester Airport is expected to generate between £2 and £2.5 billion, providing 85,000 jobs – 33,000 in the north-west. It is now a major employer.

Salaries

A rough guide to salaries in the region is given below. This is inevitably very general and there will be variations between industries and also in various parts of the north-west.

Manual£10,000 to £14,000

Semi-skilled and supervisory £13,000 to £17,000

Skilled £15,000 to £25,000

Managerial £23,000 to £35,000

Executive £32,000 to £45,000-plus

House price guide

The following prices are a rough guide only to property prices and are liable to overnight change as financial factors in the country as well as in the region affect housing.

Location 2-bed flat 2-bed terrace 3-bed semi 4-bed detached

City £120,000 £120,000 £140,000 £270,000

Town £100,000 £100,000 £120,000 £230,000

Country £80,000 £80,000 £100,000 £200,000