A new Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) study has revealed that the financial and professional services sector has experienced the single biggest growth in North West employment in the past decade.
The report, called The Changing Professions in the North West of England, shows that last year 428,800 people were employed in this sector in the region ñ up from 315,200 in 1997. This jump accounts for 23% of overall growth in the regionís top 10 employment growth sectors, ahead of education and life sciences ranked as the second and third fastest growing. And the financial and professional servicesí dominance of the North Westís employment scene is set to increase with almost a third of people predicted to be working in related professions by 2020.
As well as highlighting the shift away from traditional manufacturing industries, the report demonstrates how MMU is supporting growth in the regionís emerging sectors through postgraduate and continuing professional development courses, business partnerships, research and consultancy.
In his foreword to the report, Vice-Chancellor Professor John Brooks said: ìPreparing for the new post-industrial knowledge economy is a challenge the North West is facing and which Manchester is leading. Manchesterís Knowledge Capital ambition is being realised by the successful growth of the professional and financial services sector and the exciting opportunities offered by the relocation of the BBC to Media City. Knowledge is clearly central to the future economic prosperity of our region and the role of universities in the creation and communication of knowledge is vital. MMU strongly supports the new agenda for universities and reflects this in our ambition to become the ëLeading University for World Class Professionalsí.î
The top 10 employment growth sectors in the North West of England are ñ 1. Financial and Professional Services; 2. Education; 3. Life Sciences; 4. Retail; 5. Construction; 6. Hospitality and Tourism; 7. ICT Digital and Communications; 8. Creative/Digital/New Media; 9. Public Sector; 10. Sport.
The full report can be accessed by clicking on Changing Professions in the North West at:
A new Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) study revealed
New University report names financial and professional services as the North Westís biggest employment growth sector
