Demographics
Bury has a population of 182,000, the level of economic activity amongst the adult population is 81%, above the GM, regional and national averages. Of these almost 48% commute out of the Borough which is not surprising given its proximity to Manchester. Average gross earnings are the fifth highest in the Greater Manchester area at over 90% of national averages but remain below the average for GM and the NW region. Unemployment rates in Bury are consistently among the lowest in GM, and have remained at just over 2% for some time.
Educational attainment is high with above national figures at key stage 2. Bury has a higher proportion of students achieving A to C GCSE results. 48% of adults have NVQ level 3, just below the target of 50% and Bury exceeds the target 28% with 32% of adults having NVQ4 or equivalent. A high proportion of residents are graduates reflecting the high numbers employed as managers or professionals.
Employment
There are over 6,000 businesses in Bury, employing 57,500 of whom 28,300 are male and 29,100 female accounting for 5.5 % of jobs in the Greater Manchester area. Despite its contraction, manufacturing makes up 10% of firms employing 22% of the local workforce. In the year 97/98 Bury in fact increased employment in this sector with 1700 new jobs, since then a series of closures have resulted in successive reductions in this sector. In the same period Bury experienced major job gains in the banking finance and insurance sector with 700 new jobs and this sector represents 24% of all business units in Bury. Employment in the construction industry fell by 600 in 97/98.
One of the greatest employment increases is in media, advertising and PR and in the creative industries. These have been identified as target sectors in terms of outstanding employment and growth potential in the North West Regional Strategy.
The number of small businesses in Bury is above the regional average and accounts for 73% of businesses each employing less than 5 people. New business registrations in Bury are above the national average at 12.1% and survival rates are improving but still remain below national figures at 12%. Several of the statistics above will be updated as soon as 2001 census figures are published.
Contact Us
These figures and the full facts about business in Bury and opportunities for investment are available from:
Adrian Frost, The Economic Development Unit, Craig House, 5 Bank Street, Bury, BL9 ODN
Telephone +44(0)161 253 5396, Fax +44(0)161 253 5393.
Other useful contacts
For more information contact:
The Economic Development Unit, Craig House, 3rd Floor, 5 Bank Street, Bury, BL9 ODN.
Telephone +44(0)161 253 6140 Fax +44(0)161 253 5393 E-Mail economic.dev@bury.gov.uk
