Scotland

blue collar jobs

Key points

  • The total number of jobs grew by around 300,000 (12%) in the period from 1999 to 2009.  But this overall rise masks a sharp change in the mix, with private sector service jobs up by 150,000 (15%), public sector jobs up by 200,000 (28%), and manufacturing, construction and other production industry down by 80,000 (-14%).
  • The increase in total jobs combined with the fall in manufacturing, construction and other production jobs has occurred throughout the UK.
  • Four in ten full-time male workers are in production industries, compared to around one in ten full-time female workers and part-time workers.
  • Manufacturing, construction and other production industries are the areas which are dominated by full-time male workers.

top

Graph 1: Over time

View Graph as PDF (resizeable)   Right click to save large version of Graph as PNG

top

Graph 2: Compared to the United Kingdom

View Graph as PDF (resizeable)   Right click to save large version of Graph as PNG

top

Graph 3: By gender

View Graph as PDF (resizeable)   Right click to save large version of Graph as PNG

top

Graph 4: By industry

View Graph as PDF (resizeable)   Right click to save large version of Graph as PNG

top

Definitions and data sources

The first graph shows total number of jobs in the first quarter of each year, with the data broken down into four overall sectors, namely: manufacturing, construction and other production industries (Standard Industrial Classification or SIC 2003 codes A-F); wholesale, retail, hotels and restaurants (SIC 2003 codes G-H); finance and other business activities (SIC 2003 codes I-K); and public sector and other community services (SIC 2003 codes L-Q).

The second graph shows, for each region in the United Kingdom and each sector, the change in jobs between 1998 and 2008.  These changes are shown as a proportion of the total jobs in each region in 1998.

For both first and second graphs, the data includes both employed and self-employed jobs.  For employment: the data source is Labour Market Statistics plus, for the second graph, DETI (Northern Ireland).  For self-employment, the data source is the Labour Force Survey.  All the data relates to the location of the jobs themselves rather than to where the people doing these jobs live.

The third graph shows the proportion of workers that are in each of the four sectors for each of full-time male workers, full-time female workers and part-time workers (both sexes combined).

The fourth graph shows how the total number of jobs in each sector is divided between full-time male workers, full-time female workers and part-time workers (both sexes combined).

For both third and fourth graphs, the data includes both employed and self-employed workers and relates to the United Kingdom.  The data source is the Labour Force Survey and the data is the average for the latest three years.  Note that these two graphs are counts of workers rather than the counts of jobs in the first two graphs.  For full-time workers, these two counts are similar but, for part-time workers, they are somewhat different as two part-time workers can share the same job and one part-time worker might have more than one job.  The general pattern in both graphs would, however have been similar if job counts had been used.

Overall adequacy of the indicator: medium.  Labour Market Statistics are an authoritative source but are subject to substantial revisions from time to time.

top

External links

See the New Deal website.

top

© Guy Palmer | info@poverty.org.uk