Employment rates in the Greater West of England compared with other UK regions

27 Jul 2026

This data insight describes employment rates across the Greater West of England using data from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Employment rate is defined as the proportion of people aged 16–64 who are in paid work. Figures are based on the Annual Population Survey (APS), which covers a 12-month rolling period; for example, 2025/26 refers to April 2025 to March 2026.

The Greater West of England is a bespoke geography defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

The analysis presents employment rates over time for the Greater West of England and compares them with the UK excluding London. It also shows variation in employment rates across local authorities and parliamentary constituencies within the region. Comparisons with selected combined authority areas in England are included for additional context.

Figures are based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) for the 12-month period April to March each year – for example, '2025/26' refers to April 2025 to March 2026.

79.6%

Employment rate in the Greater West of England, 2025/26 (Apr-Mar)

-0.9 pp

Change in the Greater West of England employment rate between 2024/25 (Apr-Mar) and 2025/26 (Apr-Mar)

84.5%

Employment rate in Stroud, the highest among areas in the Greater West of England, 2025/26 (Apr-Mar)

68.3%

Employment rate in Bath, the lowest among constituencies in the Greater West of England, 2025/26 (Apr-Mar)

Employment rate trends in the Greater West of England

This visualisation shows the employment rate for the Greater West of England and the UK excluding London between 2004/05 and 2025/26.

Across the time series, the employment rate in the Greater West of England has consistently remained above the UK excluding London average.

In 2025/26, the employment rate in the Greater West of England was 79.6%, compared with 75.6% in the UK excluding London.

Employment rates fell during the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic before increasing again in subsequent years. The most recent data show the employment rate in the Greater West of England, at 79.6% in 2025/26, remaining below its pre-pandemic peak of 80.2% in 2019/20.

Employment rates by local authority area in the Greater West of England

This visualisation shows employment rates across local authority areas within the Greater West of England, alongside the Greater West of England average and national comparisons.

In 2025/26, the employment rate in the Greater West of England was 79.6%, compared with 75.4% in the UK and 75.6% in the UK excluding London.

Across areas within the Greater West of England, employment rates ranged from 72.6% in Bath and North East Somerset to 84.5% in Stroud.

Higher employment rates were also recorded in Wiltshire (81.5%), North Somerset (79.9%) and Bristol (79.8%), while Gloucestershire (79.4%) and Swindon (76.1%) recorded rates closer to the regional average.

All local authority areas within the Greater West of England recorded employment rates above the UK and UK excluding London averages, with the exception of Bath and North East Somerset (72.6%), which was below both averages.

Employment rates by parliamentary constituency in the Greater West of England

This visualisation shows employment rates across parliamentary constituencies within the Greater West of England.

Variation in employment rates is larger at constituency level than at local authority level.

Across constituencies in the Greater West of England, employment rates ranged from 68.3% in Bath to 85.1% in Filton and Bradley Stoke.

Other constituencies with relatively high employment rates include North Cotswolds (83.9%), South Cotswolds (83.7%), Bristol North West (83.7%), North East Somerset and Hanham (83.6%), and Thornbury and Yate (83.5%).

A small number of constituencies recorded employment rates below the UK excluding London average (75.6%), including Bath (68.3%), Forest of Dean (73.7%), Bristol North East (74.9%) and Swindon North (75.4%).

Employment rates in the Greater West of England compared with combined authority areas and UK comparators

This visualisation compares employment rates in the Greater West of England with those recorded across selected combined authority areas in England. UK and UK excluding London are shown for context.

In 2025/26, the employment rate in the Greater West of England was 79.6%, which is higher than both the UK average (75.4%) and the UK excluding London average (75.6%).

Among the combined authority areas shown, employment rates ranged from 69.1% in the West Midlands to 79.9% in Devon and Torbay.

The Greater West of England recorded an employment rate of 79.6%, below Devon and Torbay (79.9%) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (79.8%), the highest among the areas shown, with other relatively high employment rates recorded in West of England (79.5%) and York and North Yorkshire (78.6%).

Lower employment rates were recorded in areas including Greater Manchester (72%), Liverpool City Region (73.1%), West Midlands (69.1%) and Tees Valley (70.7%).