Plymouth is a top ten UK City for Manufacturing
Plymouth’s economy is increasingly reliant on manufacturing and engineering for its success. As a City, it now ranks amongst the top ten in the UK for its concentration of manufacturing employment. This follows the recent publication of the Centre for Cities Annual Outlook Report for 2022 with its accompanying updated dataset[1].
For many years Plymouth has been recognised as being the manufacturing and engineering powerhouse of the south of the country and so that remains true, but its inclusion in the top ten listing in the UK is new.
Steve Gerry, Secretary to the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group said, “I remember when I first got involved in economic development twenty-five years ago, that commentators used to say that Plymouth was ‘like a northern city that happened to be on the south coast’. These figures still bear that out with other members of the top ten for manufacturing being the likes of Sunderland; Blackburn and Burnley. He added, Whilst that may be true, I know where I would rather live!”
Over thirteen percent of Plymouth’s workforce is employed in manufacturing (13.28% to be precise). This compares with the national average which is almost half as much at 7.69%.
Whilst its important to note that these figures were captured during the first year of the pandemic, Plymouth’s overall manufacturing employment figures have remained largely resilient throughout, with some firms only temporarily utilising the furlough scheme for a relatively short period of time.
Of course, the City still relies heavily on Babcock International’s operation at Devonport Royal Dockyard for these numbers, but there’s much more to manufacturing and engineering in Plymouth beyond the Dockyard walls. Princess Yachts now employs over three thousand personnel and the industrial estates to the north of the City remain home to a significant number of foreign direct investors from across North America; Europe and the Far East. In fact, over two-thirds of Plymouth’s largest manufacturers are overseas owned.
Whilst maritime related industries are the city’s prime source of competitive advantage, Plymouth has manufacturers whose products serve a diverse range of markets, some of which are niche including: micro LEDs; luxury mattresses; medical products; aerospace and military components; infrastructure for the IT sector; automotive parts; confectionery etc. Naturally, we also have a healthy local supply chain – firms that serve the larger companies – both locally and further afield.
For a greater insight into who produces what and where look at our Plymouth Makes website which is designed primarily for usage by careers advisors and secondary-aged school children. https://plymouthmakes.co.uk/
As you might expect, as a corollary to being a significant employer, Plymouth’s manufacturers also contribute significantly to the wealth created in the city. The latest figures reveal that manufacturing accounts for no less than 17.5% of the City’s GVA (gross value added). This is particularly impressive when one considers that nationally, manufacturing barely contributes 10% to the country’s total economy.
All things considered, manufacturing in Plymouth is looking strong at the start of 2022. Long may it continue! Look out for news of our Early Careers Fair at Home Park on Saturday 9th July.
Source: ONS Regional gross value added (balanced) by industry: local authorities by International Territorial Level (ITL) 1 region: TLK South West
[1] For manufacturing employment, ONS, Business Register and Employment Survey.
