Overview

In 2022, 82% of Buckinghamshire’s working age population were in employment compared to 76% nationally. Conversely, Buckinghamshire’s unemployment rate was lower than the national average (3.0% versus 3.6%). Buckinghamshire has a lower economic inactivity rate than the national average (16% versus 22%), with a higher proportion of this group being retired than is the case nationally.

Buckinghamshire has one of least ‘self-contained’ labour markets in England. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, around a third of working residents travelled out of the county for work whilst 28% of all those working within the Buckinghamshire economy travelled into the county from elsewhere. In total, pre-Covid, 34,000 Buckinghamshire residents usually worked in London.

Home working has risen as a result of the pandemic, and therefore there is reduced travel to workplaces (particularly offices) both within and out of the County.

Structurally, Buckinghamshire’s economy is dominated by the service sector, which provides 85% of all local employee jobs. At a broad sectoral level, the health and social work sector provides the most jobs within the County (many of which are part-time), followed by: administration and support; education; professional, scientific and technical; and retail. Whilst not one of the largest sectors, the wholesale sector provides nearly twice as many jobs locally than nationally. Local wholesale specialisms include: the wholesale of pharmaceutical goods, machinery and equipment, computers and software. Other sectors providing more jobs locally than nationally include information and communication; construction; and motor trades.

Click on the icons below for the latest local jobs and skills research reports, visuals and data. This analysis supports the work of the Buckinghamshire Skills Advisory Panel and was funded, until March 2023, by the Department for Education (DfE).

Employees by sector – 2021

Source: BRES 2021 (ONS)

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