Welcome to the London region!
Projects in this region are indicated by a ‘Tick’ symbol on the Google map above. Click on the icon to see the name and a brief description of the project. The map’s regions are sourced from 1998 Government Office Regions of England, as produced by the Office of National Statistics Mapping Unit in 2003.
| Facts and figures | ||
|---|---|---|
| London | UK | |
| Population | 7.5m | 60.5m |
| Productivity (GVA per hour worked) | 123.1 | 100 |
| Employment rate as % of working population (GVA per hour worked) | 70.6 | 74.4 |
| Skills levels: % of economically active adults qualified to L4 | 41.2 | 31.1 |
| Enterprise: no. of VAT start ups / 10K population | 57 | 37 |
Regional Focus
There are two particular features of the London labour market that the ESF strategy seeks to address:
- London has the lowest rate of employment and highest rate of child poverty in the UK.
- London has the most productive and most highly skilled workforce in the UK.
London is the most productive region by output per worker in the United Kingdom, approximately 20% above the UK average. The high output per worker is also correlated to the concentration of those qualified to degree level (Level 4) in London, which is higher than the UK average. The employment rate for those with Level 4 qualifications or above is also higher in London than other regions. However, for residents qualified below this level, the employment rate is lower than the national average, reflecting the high-skilled nature of labour demand in the London economy.
The inflow of migrants, including many who are highly skilled, both from within the UK and outside, helps satisfy this demand for labour in London relatively well compared to other regions. The demand is also met by over 700,000 commuters mainly from the South East and eastern regions.
The most commonly cited skills gaps identified by London employers are ‘soft skills’. The greatest benefits in terms of increasing employment are interventions that tackle lower-level skills issues, and these will have the greatest impact on reducing income inequality. .
Customised training for employment that is employer-led and sector-specific
Canary Wharf and the city offer a variety of jobs, but many are not accessed by people from the local area where there is high unemployment. Fresh Futures in Financial Services worked with local employers to prepare local people, giving them the skills and attitudes to benefit from these opportunities.
Related initiatives from the Equal programme UK wide
The Knowledge Bank provides high quality, cost-effective, web-based training materials to companies and their staff. Developed by textile experts, business experts, e-learning professionals and a dedicated IT team at the University of Manchester, the Knowledge Bank offers a unique range of multi-disciplinary e-learning modules specific to the textile industry.
Specialist employment advice and job brokerage for disabled people
Complementary package that will support those disabled people furthest from the labour market. ‘Into Work - The Visage Story’ is a DVD that demonstrates some of the work Visage did in supporting blind and partially sighted people into employment.
