Leeds flies flag for Yorkshire in private sector jobs growth
LEEDS has made the top ten in a list of UK cities for jobs growth but there was bad news for other parts of Yorkshire.
According to an annual health check of UK cities – The Cities Outlook 2014 – prepared by think tank Centre for Cities, the number of jobs in private firms increased by 4,200, or 1.4% in Leeds between 2010 and 2012.
However, Hull Bradford, Doncaster and Sheffield were placed in the bottom ten cities for private sector job creation.
Despite Leeds seeing 4,200 private sector jobs created, almost 5,000 were lost in the public sector.
There was good news for York, which featured in the top ten cities with the highest percentage of high qualifications (working age population with NVQ4 & above, 2012), which came in at number seven at 41.3%.
The report also warns that economic recovery is widening the gap between London and other cities in the UK, as London continues to be critical to the UK economy, creating almost ten times more private sector jobs than Edinburgh, the second fastest growing city.
Peter Aarosin, chairman of the Bondholders marketing organisation which promotes Hull and the Humber, said: “Understandably, this report is essentially retrospective, bringing together various economic data to build up a statistical picture of cities and towns across the UK.
“Naturally, given the economic climate that has prevailed for so long, this report underlines the economic challenges facing many cities, particularly in the North. Hull’s challenges, particularly around employment, are well known and are being addressed through comprehensive, long-term initiatives such as the City Plan which aims to create 7,500 jobs over the next 10 years. However, it’s worth noting that Centre for Cities has found that the net loss of jobs in Hull is less than in many other places.
“What this study doesn’t do is to highlight the growth potential of locations and, in the case of Hull and the wider Humber area, this is exceptionally strong.
“As the UK’s Energy Estuary the Humber is acknowledged as a vital driver of the national economy. We also have the busiest ports complex in the UK, but still have abundant space for investment and growth, including in the largest port-side development sites anywhere in the country. Last year alone we saw the opening on the edge of Hull of Vivergo Fuels, one of Europe’s largest bioethanol plants, and the beginning of a £100 million investment around the ports to handle biomass.
“The award of City of Culture 2017 to Hull also presents great opportunities for investment and job-creation, including as a result of an estimated £184m boost to the visitor economy before, during and after the City of Culture year.”
Mr Aarosin said the Centre for Cities report was useful in highlighting the economic gap between London and the rest of the UK, which he said must be addressed to produce a more geographically balanced economy.
