The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released new jobs figures for 2022 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 2022 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, 2021-22

Table 1 shows the jobs change broken down by region for 2021 to 2022. The main points to note are:

  • Total job numbers (including self-employment) in Great Britain increased from around 31.3 million in 2021 to almost 32 million in 2022, a rise of 635,000 jobs or 2%.
  • All regions saw jobs increase between 2021 and 2022, with the exception of the North East which experienced a decline of 1.1% (12,000 fewer jobs).
  • In absolute terms, London saw the largest rise in the number of jobs with an increase of 282,000 (this represents an increase of 5.2%). This was followed by the South East which saw a rise of 132,000 jobs (3.1% rise).
Table 1: Jobs Change by Region, 2021-2022

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

In terms of sector growth in Great Britain between 2021 and 2022,, the accommodation and food services sector saw the greatest relative increase over this timeframe, with an 8.2% rise (192,000 additional jobs). Given this sector was arguably the one most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, this is very positive news. The only sector that did not experience growth from 2021-2022 was the wholesale and retail sector, which saw jobs fall by 1.4% (63,000 fewer jobs).

Employment Change 2015-22

Looking at labour market trends over a longer timeframe, between 2015 and 2022 employment in Great Britain increased from just over 29.8 million to almost 32 million. This represents an increase of around 2.1 million jobs, equating to 1% growth per annum over the seven-year timeframe. Table 2 shows jobs change broken down by region from 2015-22. The main points to note are:

  • In relative terms, London saw the highest jobs growth between 2015 and 2022, experiencing an annual increase of 1.7% (635,000 additional jobs in total), followed by the North West which saw an annual increase of 1.3% (305,000 additional jobs).
  • In absolute terms, London saw the highest growth, with 635,000 new jobs between 2015 and 2022, followed by the North West with an increase of 305,000.
  • The North East saw the smallest increase in jobs over the time period with an increase of 8,000, equating to annual growth of 0.1% between 2015 and 2022. This was followed by Wales which saw jobs increase by 0.2% (23,000 additional jobs).
Table 2: Jobs Change by Region, 2015-22

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

Employment Change by Sector, 2015-22

Table 3 shows jobs growth between 2015 and 2022 by broad sector in Great Britain. The main points to note are:

  • In relative terms, the information and communication sector saw the highest annual increase in jobs between 2015 and 2022 at 2.4% (215,000 new jobs in total), followed by the accommodation and food services sector at 2.3% growth per annum (378,000 new jobs in total). The transport and storage sector is generally used as a proxy for logistics, which is a sector that has benefitted from the long-term trend of increasing online retail sales, which has driven demand for warehousing space.
  • In absolute terms, the business, financial and professional services sector saw the largest growth of 673,000 jobs over the seven years, equating to annual growth rate of 1.4%.
  • 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 229,000 jobs between 2015 and 2022. The manufacturing sector also declined by 0.1% per annum, a loss of 18,000 jobs.
Table 3: Jobs Growth by Sector in Great Britain, 2015-22

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

Summary

The increase in job numbers between 2021 and 2022 indicates that the labour market has continued to perform well as it recovers from the pandemic. Sounding a note of caution, the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 increased to 4.3% for May-July 2023, up from up from 3.6% for the corresponding timeframe in 2022. In absolute terms, this represents an increase of 240,000 people. The 2022 BRES data also highlight how jobs growth since 2015 has not been equal amongst the regions, with London continuing to outpace other parts of the country.