There are just under 48,800 employees in the sector in the region, which is dominated by the chemicals and polymers industries. Two oil refineries with several distribution terminals are also in Yorkshire and the Humber. Employment levels are expected to decline by 3,000 over the next 10 years.

There are around 1,700 employers in the region accounting for 9% of employers in the sector.  64% of employers employ fewer than 10 people, which is much lower than the regional figure of 81%.

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

• 32-35% of the workforce is over 45 years, compared to 38% of the overall regional workforce
• approximately 80% of the sector workforce is male, compared to 54% of the regional workforce
• 93% of the workforce is white, compared to 95% of the region’s workforce
• 44% of the workforce in the region have a Level 3 or above qualification, compared to 49% in the overall regional workforce

The gender split in the sector’s regional workforce is expected to shift in the future with 23% females.

The occupational structure of the sector is comparable to other regions. A small rise of 2% is projected in management occupations in the future, which is fairly typical of changes in other regions. Machine operative and elementary occupations are projected to decline by 5% over the next 10 years. Replacement demand for operatives is fairly high at 5,000 employees over the next few years. Across all occupations there is a predicted requirement of 13,000.

Approximately one third of employers are reporting skills gaps. 27% of employers have reported staff turnover, which is much higher that the English average (16%).

Source: Cogent Sector Skill Needs Assessment 2006