Employment
The workforce in the Scottish Borders was just over 43,500 in 2007. There are some key differences between the Scottish and the Borders economies. For example, the Borders has a relatively large proportion of its employment concentrated in the manufacturing sector (14.3% in the Borders compared to 9.2% in Scotland). In the last five years employment in manufacturing has generally declined, both here and in the rest of Scotland. In contrast, the region is under-represented in the growing services sector generally, and most notably in the banking and financial services industries.
Scottish Borders
- Agriculture, fishing, energy and water: 6.9%
- Manufacturing: 14.3%
- Construction: 7.1%
- Distribution, hotels and restaurants: 21.8%
- Transport and communications: 3.1%
- Banking, finance and insurance: 9.7%
- Public administration, education and health: 32.1%
- Other services: 5.0%
Scotland
- Agriculture, fishing, energy and water: 3.4%
- Manufacturing: 9.2%
- Construction: 5.7%
- Distribution, hotels and restaurants: 22.0%
- Transport and communications: 5.4%
- Banking, finance and insurance: 18.8%
- Public administration, education and health: 30.3%
- Other services: 5.3%
Employment change over time
The workforce profile has change over the last five years. The biggest changes in the Scottish Borders are the increases in the service sector, notably in banking, finance and insurance (+21.1%), and other services have risen by almost one-quarter. Employment in construction has also increased by just over one-quarter. The sectors showing a fall in employment are manufacturing (-7.7%) and distribution, hotels and restaurants fell by one-fifth.
In Scotland, the biggest rise in employment has been in construction (+14.8%). The service sector also showed increases of almost 10% in banking, finance and insurance and public administration, education and health. The most notable decrease in Scotland was also the manufacturing sector (-9.2%).
Please note that the figures given for employment throughout this section are derived from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) 2003-2007, National Statistics.
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