Employment will decrease by about 6% over the next ten years. Clerical posts are expected to increase whilst higher-level occupations are expected to decrease in Yorkshire and the Humber region. Local authorities in York and Craven report skill gaps and recruitment/ retention difficulties.

In North Yorkshire, almost 8,000 people are employed in over 250 organisations. This represents 2.4% of all jobs in the North Yorkshire area (compared to 4.8% nationally). Clerical and administrative posts make up a high proportion of the job opportunities in the sector. Associate professional and unskilled jobs are also important.  In North Yorkshire local authorities report recruitment/ retention difficulties for occupations in:

• professional managerial staff (such as experienced solicitors and conveyancers, experienced accountants Trading Standards Officers, engineers, a variety of social services posts, personnel officers and assistants and senior ESW staff
• technical jobs such as New Deal training co-ordinators and accounting technicians. administrative post
• craft/manual jobs such as care assistants, cooks, school crossing patrols and mid-day supervisory assistant

Source: LSC North Yorkshire 2002