In total there are approximately 38,000 people employed in sport and recreation sector which includes 2,800 self-employed people.  Employment in the sector accounts for 1.5% of the regional workforce.  8.3% of all jobs in the sector are in the West Midlands.  There is estimated to be nearly 624,000 volunteers working in the sector.  Annual growth in employment was 7.5% in 2002.

At a sub-regional level, employment is:

• 10,100 Birmingham and Solihull
• 6,800 Staffordshire
• 6,400 Black Country
• 5,800 Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• 5,700 Coventry and Warwickshire
• 3,100 Shropshire

The West Midlands has 2,200 sport and recreation businesses, with the highest numbers in Staffordshire, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.  69% of businesses in the sector employ less than 10, compared to 82% across all sectors in the region.  Larger organisations in the region include the professional football and cricket clubs.  Golf clubs, horse racing and motor sports attract visitors to the region.  There are also a large number of major theme parks in the region. 

Key statistics on the sector in the region:

• 62.1% of the workforce are female
• 55.2% of the workforce are employed part-time
• jobs are expected to increase by 6,000 between 2002-2008
• a high turnover rate is expected with 30% of current jobs needing to be filled up to 2008, equivalent to 11,400 jobs

18% of businesses have vacancies, and 52% of businesses with vacancies in the region are finding them hard-to-fill.  13% of staff in the region are not considered fully proficient.

Internal skills gaps are reported in 28% of sector businesses in the region, which equates to 13% of staff in the region. Skills that need development include: communication skills; customer handling skills; and general IT skills.

Source: SkillsActive regional fact sheet