The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released new jobs figures for 2023 as part of the Business Register & Employment Survey (BRES). This note presents analysis of the regional data. Figures are also available for local authorities and contact details are provided at the end of the note should further analysis be of interest.
Employment in Great Britain

The 2023 BRES data provide a more up to date picture of employment trends in Great Britain and the analysis presented here summarises the main findings, looking at recent trends in the labour market.

Employment Change 2022-23

Table 1 shows the jobs change broken down by region for 2022 to 2023. The main points to note are:

  • Total job numbers (including self-employment) in Great Britain increased from 31.9 million in 2022 to 32.3 million in 2023, a rise of 382,000 or 1.2%.
  • All regions except the East Midlands experienced jobs growth between 2022 and 2023. The East Midlands saw job numbers fall by 22,000, or 1%.
  • In absolute terms, London saw the largest rise in the number of jobs with an increase of 76,000 (1.3%). This was followed by the East of England which saw a rise of 65,000 jobs (2.2%).

Table 1: Jobs Change by Region, 2022-23

Source: Business Register & Employment Survey
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.
In terms of sector growth in Great Britain between 2022 and 2023, arts, entertainment, recreation & other services saw the greatest relative increase with a 4.4% rise (62,000 additional jobs). Further detail on change in job numbers by sector is in Table 2. In absolute terms, the business, financial & professional services and public administration, education & health sectors were key contributors to jobs growth.
Table 2: Jobs Change by Sector in Great Britain, 2022-23

Source: Business Register & Employment Survey
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Employment Change 2015-23

Looking at labour market trends over a longer timeframe, between 2015 and 2023 employment in Great Britain increased from 29.8 million to 32.3 million. This represents an increase of around 2.4 million jobs, equating to 1% growth per annum over the eight-year timeframe. Table 3 shows jobs change broken down by region from 2015-23. It can be seen that:

  • In relative terms, London saw the highest jobs growth between 2015 and 2023, experiencing an annual increase of 1.7% (722,000 additional jobs in total), followed by the East of England and the West Midlands which both saw an annual increase of 1% (248,000 and 229,000 additional jobs respectively).
  • In absolute terms, London also saw the highest growth, with 722,000 new jobs between 2015 and 2023, followed by the North West with an increase of 369,000.
  • Wales saw the smallest increase in jobs over the time period with an increase of 32,000, equating to annual growth of 0.3% between 2015 and 2023. This was followed by the North East which saw jobs increase by 0.4% per annum (35,000 additional jobs).

Table 3: Jobs Change by Region, 2015-23

Source: Business Register & Employment Survey
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Employment Change by Sector, 2015-23

Table 4 shows jobs growth between 2015 and 2023 by sector in Great Britain. The main points to note are:

  • In relative terms, the information & communication sector saw the highest annual increase in jobs between 2015 and 2022 at 2.2% (230,000 new jobs in total), followed by the accommodation & food services sector at 2.1% growth per annum (399,000 new jobs in total). The transport &storage sector experienced jobs growth increased by 0% per annum (235,000 additional jobs).
  • In absolute terms, the public admin, education & health sector saw the largest growth of 812,000 jobs over the eight years, representing annual growth of 1.3%.
  • At the opposite end of the spectrum, jobs in the wholesale and retail sector decreased by 0.7% per annum, translating to a loss of 261,000 jobs between 2015 and2023. The manufacturing sector also declined by 0.1% per annum, a loss of 15,000 jobs.

Table 4: Jobs Change by Sector in Great Britain, 2015-23

Source: Business Register & Employment Survey
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Summary

The increase in job numbers between 2022 and 2023 indicates that the labour market has continued to perform well. Sounding a note of caution,the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16+ increased to 4.3% in the quarter July-September 2024, up from 4.0% in the previous quarter. In absolute terms, this represents an increase of around 100,000 people. The 2023 BRES data also highlight how jobs growth since 2015 has not been equal amongst the regions.

If sectors continue to grow in the future, such as construction, there is a potential risk of a shortage of labour holding back this growth as there may not be enough people to meet demand. This makes it important to not only support unemployed people back into the labour market, but to identify ways of supporting economically inactive people back into the labour market.