Workforce Report 2019

3.4 Geographical Distribution of Employment Figure 3 shows total employment (direct, indirect and induced) supported by industry geographically. Whilst the largest share of employment supported by industry is in Scotland, with a share of total employment reaching 39 per cent, the sector continues to provide employment across the whole of the UK. The Aberdeen region continues to support a large amount of direct jobs in the oil and gas sector. However, the most recently available statistical data (2017 data) show that total employment in the region has fallen from a peak of over 31,000 in 2014 to 26,000 in 2017. Moreover, unemployment rates in Aberdeen City, while historically low, remain above the Scottish and UK averages. While it is not possible to directly correlate levels of employment with the industry environment, it is likely that the recent oil and gas industry downturn will have contributed to the higher levels of unemployment in the Aberdeen area (relative to Scotland and the UK). Outside of Scotland, Greater London and the South East have the second and third largest number of jobs supported by the industry, together accounting for 20 per cent of total employment in 2018. This is largely due to the concentration of professional services and specialist engineering firms based in these areas.

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Figure 3: Regional Employment Supported by the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry, 2018

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West Midlands, 5% Yorkshire & Humber, 6%

East Midlands, 5%

Wales, 4%

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East of England, 5%

South West, 6%

Greater London, 11%

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North East, 3%

South East, 9%

Northern Ireland, 1%

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North West, 6%

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Scotland, 39%

Source: Experian

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