Cheshire County Council

Cheshire's unemployment is consistently below that of the North West and the rest of Great Britain, and, in recent years, employees in Cheshire have had hourly earnings rates higher than the English average.

So, whether you're seeking employment, or to change your job, Cheshire is a good place to start.

Cheshire makes an important contribution to the economy of the North West of England. Although it has just 10% of the population of the North West, it produces more than its share of the North West's gross domestic product (12.5%).

The estimated population is now over 670,000 and has increased at a rate of 3% more than the national average over the last 30 years.

The combination of distribution, hotels and restaurants employs the largest number of people, closely followed by manufacturing, public administration and the banking, finance and insurance sector (in that order). Together the above groups account for more than 82% of the jobs in Cheshire.

Managers and administrators form the largest occupational groups. Overall, employment in the service sector accounts for approximately 70% of the jobs in Cheshire and this sector is continuing to grow. However, Cheshire has a lowest proportion of employees in the service sector than the North West or Great Britain as a whole.

Chemical production continues to be very dominant in Cheshire's manufacturing economy. Cheshire's employment in the construction industry rose substantially in the year to September 2000.

Although agriculture and dairy farming in particular has been traditionally very important in Cheshire, agricultural land and the numbers employed working on it have declined slowly over the last 25 years. Nevertheless, employment is rising steadily in rural areas and the jobs are now arising in the manufacturing and financial sectors.