The region has 7% of total employment in the sector. Employment in the sector is dominated by petroleum, polymers and nuclear. Two nuclear power stations are in operation in the region and the remaining are in phases of decommissioning. Nuclear submarines are serviced at the Devonport dockyard.

Employment levels are expected to decline steadily, by 4,000 employees, over the next 10 years. There is a 3.2% projected increase in part-time employment over the 2004-2014 period.

There are 1,700 employers in the region, comprising 9% of Great Britain’s sectoral employers. 73% of employers have fewer than 10 people, compared to 84% of the regional economy and 83% across Great Britain.

Data from the Labour Force Survey for the region’s sectoral workforce are limited so some caution is required for the following workforce profile data:

• 36-40% of the workforce is over 45 years
• 73-75% of the sector workforce is male, which is unlikely to change in the future
• 97% of the workforce is white, compared to 94% of the region’s workforce
• 56% of the workforce have higher level qualifications compared to 56% in the overall region and 53% in the UK sector

It is expected that employer experiences of skill gaps are in line with the national trend at 9% of establishments.

Total demand requirement is comparable to other regions and is estimated to be 7,000 over the next 10 years.  It is anticipated that management occupations will increase as a share of sectoral employment by 3%, while the proportion of process and machine operatives will decline by 6% as a share of sectoral employment.

Source: Cogent Sector Skill Needs Assessment 2006