Look at Yorkshire and Humberside

there are six key areas of growth incorporating 32 high-level indicators by which it can be measured. There are three city regions – Leeds, Sheffield, and Hull and the Humber Ports – of which Leeds (2.5 million population) has the capacity to compete at European level and even rival London.

Of the 165,000 companies in the region, the percentage that employ over 200 people together make up one-third of total employment. In terms of gross value added (GVA) per head, however, the region is eighth out of the nine English regions. Business start-up rates are among the lowest in England, while research and development is well below the UK average.

In Yorkshire and Humberside, over £270 million is spent on research and development in the region’s 10 universities – one of the UK’s highest regional figures. A total of 33 per cent of all UK Internet traffic is routed through Leeds, while 62 per cent of firms in the region have Internet access. Leeds is now the largest financial and legal centre outside London.

Unemployment (under 5 per cent) now stands at a 20-year low and has been declining continuously since 1996, while the proportion of regional employment in high- and medium-technology sectors is the same as it was in the early 1990s in the face of declining levels nationally. At 20 per cent of the whole, the proportion of total manufacturing employment is significantly higher than average.

More new firms are surviving longer, and the region is now home to more plc headquarters than anywhere outside the south-east, as well as around 1,100 foreign-owned companies. York is one of the country’s two most profitable towns, with 85 per cent of its top businesses reporting a profit. Of greater concern is the number of firms that are downsizing and the move of some call centres overseas.

The Humber is the UK’s busiest estuary, with 74 million tonnes (13 per cent of the total of 566 million tonnes) of sea traffic passing through during 1999. Immingham is the country’s largest port and handles more dry bulk cargo than any other. It is also the second-biggest roll-on roll-off port.

Yorkshire’s affordable housing and low cost of living means higher disposable incomes than those available elsewhere in the north of England. Service leavers must accept that salary ranges are not as high as in the south, but there are compensations in terms of road and rail travel with few traffic jams and low property prices.

Opportunities and skills shortages

The continuing serious shortage of LGV drivers means than anyone with a licence is in demand. Yorkshire bus companies have an ongoing requirement for trainee drivers. The North and West Yorkshire Fire Service recruits once a year, while there is a dramatic shortage in qualified tradesmen, gas fitters, electricians and plumbers. The rail industry is still expanding, particularly in York and Wakefield, while the telecommunications sector has strengthened in recent months, although big companies subcontract work rather than employing directly.

Key skills shortages are in administration, engineering, building trades (plumbing, electricians, builders) and driving. Some transport companies offer free upgrade courses to enable Class 2 drivers to advance to Class 1.

Leeds offers a great deal of employment of the type seen in big cities: for example, financial, legal, accountancy. With medical firms and two large universities being very buoyant employers, there is a demand for a wide range of skills. The Home Office has opened a new site in Sheffield as part of enhanced capacity in the Home Office’s immigration department, which has brought in some new work.

The M62 corridor continues to expand, with more employment now in the east of Yorkshire. Although Yorkshire has suffered some closures of call centres with work moving abroad, these sometimes reopen after improvements have been made.

Employers

The former RAF Finningley site is being converted into a commercial airfield resulting in 7,000 jobs over the next few years. A business park is being built at the former Sheffield City Airport to attract new companies into the area. By 2007, Boeing and Sheffield-based Castings Technology International will build major facilities on what will become South Yorkshire’s pioneering Advanced Manufacturing Park on the Waverley site.

Salaries

Manual £10,000 to £14,000

Semi-skilled £13,000 to £20,000

Skilled and supervisory £16,000 to £28,000

Managerial £18,000 to £35,000

Executive £30,000 to £45,000 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.

Location City Town Country

2-bed flat £125,000 £100,000 £80,000

2-bed terrace £140,000 £110,000 £90,000

3-bed semi £250,000 £200,000 £150,000

4-bed detached £300,000 £250,000 £200,000