Creativesheffield - Workforce
Workforce Summary
Sheffield has a population over half a million. The city`s superb situation combined with the transport links that connect Sheffield with the rest of the country, mean 2 million people live within an hour`s drive, 1.3 million of whom are working age.
Nature and structure of the labour force, demographics
The population of the Sheffield City Region is predicted to grow by 15.4% to 2031, according to ONS population projections.
Furthermore, the presence of two major universities and one of the largest further education colleges in Britain, mean Sheffield has a distinctly youthful population throughout the year, the universities in Sheffield alone providing 55,000 students and 15,000 graduates annually.
Over one in ten employees work as fully qualified professional staff, with a further 12.9% either new or semi-qualified professionals. 12.3% of employees living within an hour`s travel to work are Senior Managers or officials.
Sheffield has the third highest employment rate of all core cities, with 70.4% of people in employment - higher than London, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham among others.
Education and Qualification
Sheffield boasts a highly skilled workforce, with 31.5% of the working age population qualified to NVQ Level 4 and above, higher than the GB average of 29.0%. This equates to 107,100 people in the city itself and 244,900 in the wider city region qualified to degree or equivalent level. 165,800 (48.8%) are qualified to NVQ Level 3 and above in the city, with 456,900 (42.2%) in the city region.
Sheffield schools continue to produce excellent GCSE and A Level results, improving year or year. In the wider city region there are currently 196,300 people of working age with GCE A Levels and 208,100 with GCSEs. And with specialist schools in Engineering, IT, Business and Sport, the future for the city`s skills is bright.
Availability
Sheffield has a recruitment pool of around 1.3 million people of working age within an hour`s drive. Within the city itself there is a population of 534,500 and a working age population of 342,800, 75.5% of whom are economically active.
Sheffield also has a large pool of students looking for work, and both universities have employment services to match students with suitable vacancies. The city`s two universities create around 15,000 graduates each year.
On top of this, excellent rail connections make the city commutable from Manchester, Leeds, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley and Chesterfield, providing a highly skilled, diverse workforce across all sectors.
HR Business Consultants at Creative Sheffield can assist inward investors and indigenous companies with all people-related matters. The Consultants are equipped with information about all available recruitment options and offer sector specific knowledge of the local labour market and current employment climate.
Labour Costs
The city of Sheffield enjoys highly competitive labour costs compared to regional and national averages, with 10% labour turnover rates on average the lowest in the UK.
Sheffield has the lowest average hourly pay of all UK core cities (source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2008), with the average hourly pay standing at £11.37 for full-time positions and £7.06 for part-time positions. The average annual pay currently stands at £23,703 compared to the GB average £25,230. This is significantly lower than the average London salary of £32,778.
The city has also been ranked 3rd in the category "Best City in Terms of Cost of Staff" in the 2008 Cushman and Wakefield UK Cities Monitor.
While salary levels remain low, sustained wage growth over the last ten years demonstrates Sheffield`s economic strengthening.
Training and Recruitment Initiatives
Creative Sheffield offers a unique HR consultancy service, that has provided a bespoke service to inward investors and expanding indigenous companies across Sheffield and South Yorkshire, since 2001.
It provides a single point of access in relation to recruitment and development support, through a unique brokerage service based upon established local networks. Furthermore, the service is fully funded and therefore clients will not incur costs for utilising this resource.
The services offered are designed to help with all aspects of workforce development. Job readiness training programmes, funding advice, access to local training and employment networks are just some of the services provided.
