employment
skills
productivity
Employment by occupation in the Greater West of England, by gender and local authority
This data insight presents occupational employment patterns for the Greater West of England, defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
The analysis includes differences between female and male workers, variation across local authority areas, and patterns of net in-commuting (people who live outside a city or area travel into it for work) and out-commuting (people who live in a city or area but travel outside it for work) by broad occupation group.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimates of employment by occupation based on the UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC2020). These data provide information on how employment is distributed across occupation groups for different population groups and geographies.
Percentages are calculated as proportions of total employment within each category. Net commuting figures represent the difference between inward and outward workplace flows.
12.8%
Female employment in personal service occupations in the Greater West of England, 2025
36.5%
Professional occupation share in Bristol, 2025
133,500
Professional occupation employment in Bristol, 2025
+63,800
Net in-commuting in managerial, professional and associate professional occupations, Bristol, Jan 2025 to Dec 2025
Employment by broad occupation group, by sex, Greater West of England, 2025
This visualisation shows the distribution of employment across broad occupation groups for female and male workers in the Greater West of England in 2025.
Female workers recorded higher shares of employment in professional occupations (31.1% compared with 28.5% for male workers), caring, leisure and other service occupations (12.8% compared with 2.4%), and administrative and secretarial occupations (12.5% compared with 3.1%).
Male workers recorded higher shares in skilled trades occupations (12.5% compared with 2.0% for female workers), process, plant and machine operative occupations (8.4% compared with 0.8%), and managers and senior officials (16.3% compared with 9.9%).
Shares were equal in associate professional and technical occupations (16.3% for both female and male workers), and broadly similar in sales and customer service occupations (5.5% and 4.9%) and elementary occupations (9.1% and 7.6%).
Percentages represent proportions of total employment for each gender.
Share of employment by broad occupation group, local authority areas, Greater West of England, 2025
This visualisation shows the percentage of employment in each broad occupation group across local authority areas within the Greater West of England in 2025.
The share of workers employed in professional occupations ranged from 20.5% in Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire) to 36.5% in Bristol. Bath and North East Somerset recorded 34.2% and Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) 34.1%.
The share employed as managers and senior officials ranged from 10.3% in North Somerset and 10.9% in Bristol to 22.2% in Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire) and 20.0% in Cotswold (Gloucestershire).
Employment in associate professional and technical occupations ranged from 12.7% in Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire) and 13.7% in Stroud (Gloucestershire) to 19.2% in Gloucester and 18.3% in North Somerset.
The share of employment in elementary occupations ranged from 5.3% in Cotswold (Gloucestershire) to 12.1% in Forest of Dean and 11.5% in Swindon. Sales and customer service occupations ranged from 3.2% in Cotswold to 9.6% in Gloucester.
Percentages are calculated as shares of total employment within each local authority area.
Employment by broad occupation group, local authority areas, Greater West of England, 2025
This visualisation shows employment levels by broad occupation group across local authority areas within the Greater West of England in 2025.
Bristol recorded 133,500 workers in professional occupations, 62,500 in associate professional and technical occupations, and 39,800 in managers and senior officials.
Gloucestershire recorded higher totals than Bristol in skilled trades occupations (29,400 compared with 23,700) and personal service occupations (21,200 compared with 19,200). Wiltshire recorded 24,800 in personal service occupations, the highest across GWE local authority areas.
Local authority areas with smaller resident or workplace populations recorded lower employment totals across occupation groups.
Figures are presented as employment levels.
Net in-commuting by broad occupation group, local authority areas, Greater West of England, January 2025 - December 2025
This visualisation shows net in-commuting by broad occupation group across local authority areas within the Greater West of England for the period January 2025 to December 2025.
Bristol recorded a net inflow of 63,800 in managerial, professional and associate professional occupations and 25,400 in process, plant and machine operative and elementary occupations.
South Gloucestershire recorded net out-commuting across all four occupation groupings, including –30,800 in managerial, professional and associate professional occupations and –12,700 in process, plant and machine operative and elementary occupations.
Net commuting figures represent the difference between inward and outward workplace flows.
