The region accounts for 17% of the sector’s workforce in England and 14% in the UK.  The region has 12% of the food and drink manufacturing enterprises in England and 9% in the UK. 

The regional workforce is less well qualified compared to the English workforce.  74% of the sector workforce has a Level 2 or below qualification, compared with 66% in England and 65% in the UK.  12% of the sector workforce is qualified to Level 4 or higher, compared with 17% in England and in the UK.

60% of the region’s employers report vacancies, compared to 35% of employers in England.  This is the highest proportion of employers reporting vacancies for any English region.  28% of employers in the sector report hard-to-fill vacancies, compared with 8% of employers in England.  9% of employers report skill shortage vacancies, compared with 9% of employers in England.

Source: At a Glance – Yorkshire and the Humber 2005

For more regional data go to the Improve website.