Employment in the apparel, footwear and textiles sector accounts for approximately 1% of all Scottish jobs. More than half of all employees in the sector are process, plant and machine operatives.

There are approximately 1,500 workplaces in the sector. Only a small number of organisations report an increase in staffing levels over the last year. The majority of organisations (80%) reported static staffing levels over the last year. Medium and large organisations are more likely to report a decline in employment over the last year. 75% of organisations forecast static staffing levels in the future.

50% of Scottish organisations in the sector report increases in sales over the last year, compared to the UK average of 30%. Nearly 60% of Scottish organisations in the sector forecast continued increases and an improving outlook for the sector as a whole.

The average full-time weekly wage is £295, which is 25% lower than the Scottish average (£393).

The average age of the workforce is 43 years, which is similar to the Scottish average of 40 years.

43% of manufacturing and wholesale organisations are involved in export. 47% of organisations in Scotland undertake some form of overseas sourcing, compared to the UK average of 16%. 25% of textile manufacturers in the country serve the technical textile market.

43% of establishments arrange or fund training for their staff. Similar to other regions, job specific and health and safety training are most commonly provided by organisations. There is a reliance on in-house training.

6% of organisations are owned or part-owned by a member of an ethnic minority group. A large proportion of these organisations are small wholesale establishments.

Several organisations in the Scottish sector report having vacancies at any one time, and future difficulties are anticipated in replacing staff as they retire. Managers, operative and sewing machinists staff are expected to be the most difficult to replace in the future.

Skill shortages are uncommon, totalling 18,300 and affecting less than one in twenty Scottish workplaces. Skills shortages are mostly reported in operative, sales and skilled trade occupations. The highest incidence of internal skills gaps are reported in textiles manufacturing. The most commonly identified skills gaps in the Scottish sector include supervisory and production management skills.

Future challenges facing the Scottish sector include:

• staff retention, training or other staff issues
• keeping up with changes in technology
• attracting new customers
• improving quality of service to customers
• reducing overall costs

Source: Futureskills Scotland 2005 and Regional report – Scotland 2004

   For further LMI on Scotland go to the Careers Scotland website.