Employment by Ward from the 2001 Census
September 2003
The following article is based on results from the 2001 Census of Population. The data are based on the employed population of Lancashire that includes both employees and the self-employed and both are enumerated by place of residence. It is important to note therefore that these estimates differ from those derived from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) which are a count of employee jobs only and are by place of work.
The National Perspective
Results for the 2001 census of population for England and Wales reveal a total of over 23.6 million people in employment who are aged between 16 and 74. The vast majority are employed in the service sector, 17.9 million or 75.8%, whilst the manufacturing sector accounts for 3.5 million or 15%. The remainder work in agricultural, forestry, fishing, mining, power generation and the construction sector.
The County Perspective
In the broader Lancashire NUTS-2 area that includes Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool unitary authorities, the census figures reveal a total of 617,565 residents aged 16-74 who were in employment. A total of 446,049 or 72.2% were employed in the service sector whilst a further 118.028 or 19.1% were allocated to the manufacturing sector. The figures reveal the expected bias towards manufacturing sector employment in the County in comparison to the England and Wales average.
Ward Level Perspective
Figure 1 details the Lancashire NUTS-2 geographic area and the urban area boundaries to offer a reference point to help interpret the results in Figures 2 to 4. It is not possible to label all urban areas, especially in the central Lancashire area, but the ones listed should help to identify other areas.
Figures 2 to 4 detail employment levels by ward, and the percentage of the workforce in each ward employed in the service and manufacturing sectors. All the results have been presented by broad groupings to highlight differences across the County.
Figure 2 highlights the wards in Lancashire with the largest numbers of people in employment. Of the 301 wards in Lancashire (2001 boundaries) Clayton-le-Woods & Whittle-le-Woods In Chorley District recorded the largest number of employed residents (3,680) followed by Garrison in Preston (3,644) and St. Oswald's in Hyndburn (3,485). At the other extreme, Singleton and Greenhalgh in Fylde District recorded the lowest number of resident workers (602) followed by Chatburn in the Ribble Valley with 650.
Figure 3 reveals the wards in Lancashire with the highest percentages of people employed in the manufacturing sector. The Figure dramatically demonstrates the high concentrations found in or close to the towns in East Lancashire. In comparison, wards in the Central and North Lancashire areas show on average much lower concentrations of manufacturing employment. Four wards in Pendle District have the highest percentages of residents working in the manufacturing sector; the two highest rates are found in the neighbouring wards of Coates (38.2%) and Craven (37.2%), whilst Bradley and Horsfield wards both recorded rates of 35%. In comparison three wards in Lancaster District recorded the lowest percentages. The central Lancaster Ward of Duke's and the rural ward of Silverdale both recorded 6.6%, whilst the Upper Lune Valley recorded 7.8%.
Figure 4 details the percentage of people employed in the service sector. The high concentrations along the Fylde coast and in central Lancaster are particularly apparent. The Duke's Ward in Lancaster with 88.9% of people employed in the service sector recorded the highest percentage, followed by three central Blackpool wards of Bloomfield (87.6%) Talbot (85.3%) and Claremont (84.0%). At the other extreme, the high levels of manufacturing employment in Craven and Coates means that these two wards recorded the lowest percentages of service sector employment: 55.0% and 56.1% respectively.
For further details, or if you have any ideas for improving the content of this article, please contact:
Bryan Moulding
Tel 01772 534172
Email Bryan.Moulding@lancashire.gov.uk