Employment
The workforce in the Scottish Borders was just under 42,900 in 2006. 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 9.4% 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: 6.4%
- Manufacturing: 14.3%
- Construction: 7.5%
- Distribution, hotels and restaurants: 21.9%
- Transport and communications: 2.9%
- Banking, finance and insurance: 9.1%
- Public administration, education and health: 32.5%
- Other services: 5.3%
Scotland
- Agriculture, fishing, energy and water: 3.1%
- Manufacturing: 9.4%
- Construction: 5.8%
- Distribution, hotels and restaurants: 22.4%
- Transport and communications: 5.1%
- Banking, finance and insurance: 18.3%
- Public administration, education and health: 30.4%
- Other services: 5.4%
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 public administration, education and health (+11.9%), and other services have risen by around one-quarter. Employment in construction has also increased by just under one-fifth. The sectors showing a fall in employment are manufacturing (-13.6%) and agriculture, fishing, energy and water fell by about one-tenth.
In Scotland, the biggest rise in employment has also been in the service sector, with employment in banking, finance and insurance increasing (+12.7%) and public administration, education and health employment increasing (+11.8%). The most notable decrease in Scotland was also the manufacturing sector (-17.6%).
Please note that the figures given for employment throughout this section are derived from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) 2002-2006, National Statistics.
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