Look at north-west England

The north-west of England, has an area of 14,165 square kilometres. With nearly 7 million inhabitants (nearly 12 per cent of the UK total) 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 people per square kilometre) is three times more densely populated than the European average. Its £60 billion economy is larger than that of a number of European member states, and it incorporates the cities of Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Lancaster and Carlisle. Its economy is rooted in the chemical, textile, engineering, and food and drink manufacturing industries, which together accounted for 75 per cent of its manufacturing output. Tourism has had 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 partnership between the public and private sectors. Inward investment continues to rise, bolstered by the expansion of ManchesterAirport and JohnLennonLiverpoolAirport. 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. From specialising in traditional industries like textiles, shipping and engineering, the region has responded to global shifts with the growth of emerging new sectors such as biotechnology, chemicals, aerospace and ICT. Over 70 per cent of the workforce of around 4 million is now employed in service industries.

Regional gross value added (GVA) is more than 10 per cent of the UK total with its GVA per head around 90 per cent of the UK average. With GDP of £75.8 billion, the economy exceeds that of several European countries. The unemployment rate is around 5 per cent – 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 but living and business costs are significantly lower than those of other crowded regions. (Comparable office costs in London are nearly 350 per cent higher than in Manchester.)

Some 85 per cent of the region’s 350,000-plus business sites (2,000 of the largest of which are foreign-owned) employ between one and 50 individuals, with research and development funding at a high level compared with other UK regions. Its large companies include 75 per cent of the UK’s top 100 enterprises.

With nearly 4,000 schools it 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, and 20 per cent of employees do not have 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 annually. Top attractions are BlackpoolPleasureBeach, Chester Zoo, Southport Pleasureland, Chester Cathedral, Lake Windermere and the Lowry art gallery. 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 (including Olympic facilities), 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 (particularly LGV), 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

Manchester and Liverpool city centres 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, ManchesterAirport is expected to generate between £2 and £2.5 billion, providing 85,000 jobs – 33,000 of them in the north-west.

Other important industries include aerospace, automotive manufacturing, business and financial services, ICT and digital industries, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. It was the first European region to map out climate change impacts and boasts the most comprehensive transport infrastructure in the UK.

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£11,000 to £15,000

Semi-skilled and supervisory£13,000 to £18,000

Skilled£15,000 to £25,000

Managerial£25,000 to £40,000

Executive £35,000 and upwards

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.

Location2-bed flat 2-bed terrace 3-bed semi4-bed detached

City£150,000£130,000 £160,000 £320,000

Town£130,000£110,000 £140,000 £270,000

Country £110,000£90,000 £120,000 £220,000