employment
sectors
economy
Payrolled employment trends by sector and nationality in the South West of England, 2024
This data insight describes trends in payrolled employment across the South West of England, with a focus on how employment has changed over time, how it is distributed across industries and how workforce composition varies by nationality.
This analysis is based on HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI) Pay As You Earn data. By combining change over time with sector breakdowns and nationality comparisons, this analysis provides a comprehensive view of the region’s labour market dynamics.
This analysis focuses on the South West of England at the ITl1 geographical level, comprising Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; West of England; North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset; Devon; and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
+55,500
Health and social workers; Largest sectoral growth in the South West since 2019
-22,300
Retail and wholesale; Largest employment decline in the South West since 2019
~75%
Non-EU nationals make up the majority of the health and social work workforce
Changes in payrolled employment by sector, South West, 2019-2024
This visualisation shows the net change in payrolled employment across industry sectors in the South West between July 2019 and June 2024, broken down by nationality.
Overall, employment growth is uneven across sectors, with health and social work experiencing the largest increase, driven primarily by UK (14,000) and non-EU (41,400) nationals. Strong gains are also evident in professional, scientific and technical activities, as well as education and construction.
In contrast, administrative and support services, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale show notable declines. Accommodation and food services also show mixed performance, with overall gains driven by UK and non-EU nationals, offset by a decline among EU nationals.
Across most sectors, growth is driven by UK nationals, with non-EU nationals contributing to key sectors such as health and professional services, while EU nationals shows smaller or negative changes in several areas.
Recent changes in payrolled employment by sector, South West, 2022-2024
This visualisation shows the changes in payrolled employment across industry sectors in the South West between July 2022 and June 2024, broken down by nationality.
Overall, growth continues across most sectors, though at a more moderate pace compared to longer-term trends.
Health and social work (32,800) stands out as the dominant driver of recent employment growth, largely driven by non-EU nationals. Other sectors such as professional, scientific and technical activities (10,700), education (11,600), and public administration and defence (10,800).
In contrast, administrative and support services, and manufacturing show smaller gains, while agriculture and real estate remain flat.
Total payrolled employment by sector and nationality, South West, 2024
This visualisation shows the total number of payrolled employments in the South West by industry sector and nationality as of June 2024.
Health and social work is the largest employment sector (84,300) and its workforce is characterised by a substantial portion of non-EU nationals. Other major sectors include retail and wholesale (34,100), administrative and support services (42,400), and accommodation and food services (41,000).
Across most sectors, UK nationals constitute the majority of the workforce. However, non-EU nationals account for a growing share of employment, particularly in health, and hospitality and retail. EU nationals represent a smaller proportion and are more concentrated in accommodation and food services than in other sectors.
Share of payrolled employment by sector and nationality, South West, 2024
This visualisation shows the proportion of payrolled employment within each sector in the South West by nationality, highlighting how workforce composition varies across industries.
UK nationals constitute the majority of the workforce in all sectors. EU nationals account for a significant share in several sectors, such as health and social work (19%), administrative and support services (16%), and accommodation and food services (12.4%).
Payrolled employment share by nationality, South West and national comparisons, 2024
This visualisation shows the share of payrolled employment by nationality across the South West, England excluding London and England, expressed as a percentage of total employment.
Across all geographies, UK nationals make up the majority of employment, but there are clear differences in the contribution of EU and non-EU workers.
The South West has a lower number of non-EU nationals compared to England and England excluding London, indicating a higher proportion of UK nationals in the workforce.
England excluding London shows a higher proportion of non-EU employment. EU nationals account for a smaller share across all geographies, showing up more in the South West figures than in England overall.
