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UK > Regions, local & cities > Knowledge Base > Overview > East of England

East of England

Demography

Inward migration, both of younger people taking up work and of retired people, has been a major source of the fast population growth in the East of England. (Read more...)

Household income and spending

Disposable household income and household expenditure per capita in the East of England are above the national average but there are considerable differences in these measures between the west and the east of the region. (Read more...)

Housing market

The housing market in the East of England improved and then worsened in 2010. Taking data from the DCLG, Nationwide and Halifax together it is unclear whether the East’s housing market performed better than that of the UK as a whole. However, housing starts and advances on dwellings have risen and there was a recovery in construction output in the East that was unequivocally better than the UK average. (Read more...)

Industries and firms

The East of England is mainly centred around services and has many high-profile research and development companies based in this region. (Read more...)

Labour market

Data for 2011 show an overall improvement in the labour market in the East of England and most indicators point to a better performance than the national average. (Read more...)

News and interpretation - Manufacturing

Manufacturing in the East of England has faced particularly difficult conditions since the onset of the recession in the broader national economy and the downturn in international trade has also had a significant impact. The region’s traditional motor manufacturing industry has struggled and many of the specialised research and development divisions based in the region have faced cut-backs as firms have prioritised short-term survival over longer-term innovation. However, firms in several sectors have turned conditions to their advantage, establishing themselves in new markets, commercialising prior research and building on their existing strengths and skills. (Read more...)

News and interpretation - Services

Recent developments look set to increase the productivity of services employment in the East of England.

The announced developments should improve accessibility to the region’s primary seaports and greatly increase the total port capacity, develop the region’s rail network, reduce congestion on parts of the road network, and increase capacity at Stansted Airport.

However, the weight of Financial & business services and Hotels, distribution & catering in the region’s economy as well as its lose ties to the economies of London and the broader South East, markedly slowed the rate of output growth in services overall in 2009.

(Read more...)

Occupational mix

The occupational profile of the East of England is similar to that of the UK as a whole, but there are striking differences in the profile between different parts of the region. (Read more...)

Short-term outlook

The East of England has been recovering in line with the UK, being assisted by strong performances in manufacturing and agriculture. This recovery is expected to continue and the East is forecast to eventually outperform the UK as a whole. It is expected that future output growth will be powered by continued success in manufacturing alongside expansion in its transport & communications and financial & business services sectors.

An improvement in the East’s employment is not forecast to occur until 2012, and it is expected to be fuelled by transport & communications and financial & business services. The East’s long-term unemployment rate has remained below the UK average and this is not expected to change.

(Read more...)

Skills and earnings

The East of England owes its relatively high level of skills to the concentration of skilled people in certain parts of the region. This leaves some areas with low skills. (Read more...)

The long-term: Demography

The population of the East of England is expected to grow more rapidly than the national average over the long term, and the population of working age is forecast to grow as fast as total population at least over 2015-20.

There are regeneration projects in Ipswich and Colchester.

The science research base in the region is being strengthened.

However, more remote parts of the region seem likely to continue suffering from a lack of employment opportunities and from low levels of skills.

(Read more...)

The long-term: GVA and employment

In the long term economic growth in the East of England is expected to be slightly stronger than that of the UK as a whole, at around 3% pa over 2015-20 and 2020-25. The main driver of growth will be Services; but the region will also continue to specialise in high value-added manufacturing.

The labour market outlook is relatively benign in the medium term but it will strengthen over 2015-20. The unemployment rate is expected to come down gradually over the long term, while employment growth is expected to resume from 2012 onwards. Total employment in the East of England is expected to increase by 1% over 2015-20 and by ¾% pa over 2020-25.

(Read more...)

Transport infrastructure

The East of England benefits from a developed transport infrastructure which links the region with London and the broader South East, as well as with national and international markets further afield. The west of the region is especially well served by easily accessible road, rail and air transport facilities. However, congestion is an increasing problem in the west of the region; and the northernmost parts of Norfolk and parts of the Suffolk coastline remain relatively poorly connected. (Read more...)