First, some key facts:Almost 7 million people live in the North West, and 4.1 million of those make up the workforce. The cluster groups in the north west show how diverse the economy in the region truly is; just take a look at the following list of cluster networks, either operational or being developed:
- Aerospace
- Chemicals
- Digital industries
- Renewable energies
- Environmental Technologies
- Financial and professional services
- Food and drink
- Biotechnology
- Textiles
|
- Automotive
- Creative industries
- Energy
- Maritime
- Aviation
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Sport
- Tourism
|
A ten year plan is being developed for each sector to help identify opportunities for growth, so keep your eye on the news by logging onto their various cluster web sites. Businesses are certainly becoming more knowledge based, and as a result products will have shorter lifestyles, so you need to be able to respond to change and take responsibility for learning new skills. Research shows that areas where the skill levels are highest are those of the most affluent areas.
The Regional Economic Strategy seeks to develop and exploit the region's knowledge base and focus initially on business clusters in biotechnology, aerospace, chemicals, environmental technologies and nuclear energy. The region also benefits from a number of leading research institutes in the sectors of ICT, environmental technologies, life sciences, manufacturing and healthcare.
The Northwest depends on manufacturing, public administration and health and education more than most regions in England, but there are disparities in the importance of these sectors across the region; for example:
| County |
Strength |
| Cheshire |
Finance and business services |
| Cumbria |
Distribution, hotel and catering, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing |
| Greater Manchester |
Financial and business services, transport and communication |
| Greater Merseyside |
Public administration, education and health |
| Lancashire |
Manufacturing, construction, public administration |
What are the opportunities?
Look at what the region is trying to do to get an idea for where future job opportunities may lie, either inside your current organisation or outside it. For example, the region wants to:
- support cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, along with other major centres, as drivers for economic growth
- promote the growing knowledge economy especially in areas such as Manchester
- encourage a more diverse rural economy through a programme of regeneration and business support
- develop opportunities for innovation in service delivery for workforce development and business support - this means more learning opportunities for you, so make the most of them;
- encourage business opportunities in the environmental economy
This means that there could be a growing number of opportunities right under your nose, particularly if you live near one of sites designated for employment and business development.
So which sectors are hot to trot?
Careers Northwest delved deep to find out which areas are growing and will be recruiting more staff in the future and they discovered that the following will be taking on more are as listed below. A red asterisk indicates they are seriously Hot to Trot!
- Creative industries* in particular the audio-visual industry.
- Financial and professional services
- Health*
- ICT*
- Retail*
- Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies*
- Sport and Active Leisure
- Tourism *
- Food and drink
- Construction
- Oil, Gas, Chemicals, Polymer and Nuclear*
Many of the staff working in these will be based in new business and science parks spread throughout the region, or areas being regenerated by the Agency and/or its partners. Whatever sector your employer is in, keep boosting your skills and knowledge base and your network!
Where do office professionals fit in?
According to the North West Strategy Review produced in April 2002, there are approximately 14% of the workforce falls into the secretarial/administrative/clerical role. The Warrington Labour Market Review October 2004, reports the percentage average annual employment growth from 2000 to 2015 in the North West to be:
| Managers and senior officials: |
1.0% |
| Professional occupations |
1.9% |
| Associate professional and technical occupations |
1.5% |
| Administrative Clerical and Secretarial occupations |
-0.7% |
| Skilled Trades Occupations |
-1.5% |
| Personal Service Occupations |
2.9% |
| Sales and Customer Service Occupations |
1.2% |
| Process Plant & Machine Operators |
0.9% |
| Elementary Occupations |
-2.4% |
What does this mean for you?
It's important to keep abreast of developments in your region and local area by reading up on news of what's being done to encourage companies not just to grow and compete, but enable you to develop the skills you need to do a world-class job and plot your career effectively. This means understanding which sectors are strong and booming in your region and what their world is all about; they may be absolutely right up your street! Don't miss opportunities by hiding your head under the duvet - get out there are look at what's going on around you!
Actions to take:
- Watch the press - keep your eye out for any new employment sites near you which could provide that perfect next role.
- Consider starting up on your own - why not set up your own freelance or virtual assistant business to help new companies setting up?
- Find out more about the different sectors in your region, especially those which interest you, so that you can be aware of opportunities within them which might provide you with your next role!
Remember, the more you know about the different sectors in your region,
the more you can be sure whether you're in the right niche!
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