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Workforce Summary

The Cornwall workforce reflects the county's transition into a service-driven, knowledge-based economy…

• Using the base case scenario of 2.8% annual growth of the regional GVA, the number of jobs is predicted to increase by more than 35,000 up to a total of approximately 250,000 in 2026.
• Cornwall County’s overall jobs growth rate is expected to exceed the regional growth rate.
• Small sized businesses in Cornwall account for approximately 84.1% of the total business stock in the county – just above the regional and national averages.
• Cornwall has a lower percentage of medium sized enterprises (50-199 employees) and large sized enterprises (200+ employees) than the national and regional levels.
• A large number of manufacturing companies in Cornwall are categorized as small sized enterprises, with fewer than 49 employees - 183 companies in total. More than 130 companies in transport, communication and distribution, hotels and catering are in this category.
• Since 2000, the number of identified workers Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly has grown by 33,800 employees to a total of 193,100.
• Cornwall has the fifth fastest population growth rate of all UK counties, rising from 501,267 in 2001 to 535,300 in 2010.
• A relatively high percentage still lives in rural parts of the county, and ten towns have a population over 10,000 inhabitants: Penzance, Truro, Bodmin, Falmouth, Newquay, St Austell, Camborne/Redruth, Helston and Saltash.
• Bodmin is the traditional capital of the county, but Truro has emerged as the main sub-regional centre for administration, retail and professional services employment.
• The unemployment rate in Cornwall is lower than the national average at 2.4% (2010). The seasonality of Cornwall’s tourism sector means that this figure rises in the winter season.

For more information about the labour force in Cornwall, please read the latest Labour Market Analysis, which is updated monthly.