Basingstoke & The Labour Market
- The Borough has a relatively high economic activity rate (83% of the working age population) and employment rate (80% of the working age population), both exceeding the South East average.
- Within 45 minutes of Basingstoke (approximately 20 mile radius) there is an economically active population of 1,350,400 - 548,400 are educated to NVQ level 4** or above.+
- Unemployment rate in the borough stands at 3.7% (the Government`s new preferred measure assesses the percentage of economically active people unemployed). This compares favourably to the South East average (4.2%).
The Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) count is currently 1.8% of the working age population. Continuing a long term trend, the borough`s JSA rate remains slightly lower than that for the South East (2.4%).- In terms of occupations of the resident workforce, the borough is well represented in professional, associate professional and technical occupations, sales/customer service occupations and personal service occupations.
- Qualifications: around 30% of the working age population are qualified to degree level or higher.
- At the 2001 Census the Borough was the most self contained district in Hampshire, providing jobs for 67% of its workforce.
- There is a balance of in and out commuting - the Borough attracts around 24,000 people who commute into the borough to work from neighbouring districts and further afield - Hart, Test Valley, Surrey, West Berkshire, Winchester, London, East Hampshire, Wokingham, Rushmoor and Reading, Buckinghamshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.
- Average gross weekly median earnings among Basingstoke and Deane`s workforce exceeds the Hampshire average and the South East average and is placed about mid-way among all the South East authorities.
+ NVQ level 4 is equivalent to a university degree or higher education certificate. NVQ level 5 is equivalent to a masters degree and includes PhD.
