- By Rupert Waters, Head of Economic Research, Buckinghamshire Business First
- 12 July, 2017
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The latest research on Buckinghamshire's economy is in, giving us a greater understanding of how business, social and economic landscapes are changing over time.
New business registrations
There were 1,288 businesses registered in Buckinghamshire in the second quarter of 2017 (April to June), according to Companies House.
There have been 5,338 new businesses registered in the last year, an increase of 737 or 16.2 per cent over the previous 12 months.
Population
Buckinghamshire’s population rose by 6,320 or 1.2 per cent in 2016 to reach 534,720.
This was the 4th highest rate of increase among the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), ranking 2nd among the 27 county council areas. There are now 342 residents for every km2 in Buckinghamshire, up from 306 in 2001.
Educational attainment
Buckinghamshire’s educational attainment is among the highest in the country, with 48.0 per cent of working age (16-64) residents holding at least degree level qualifications, the 2nd highest share among county councils, ranking 4th among Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), well above the 38.2 per cent recorded across Great Britain.
Jobs of EU passport holders
In 2011, 226,700 people aged 16 and over were employed in Buckinghamshire, including 11,244 holding non-UK EU passports and 8,003 with passports from the rest of the world.
Elementary occupations are most commonly held by EU passport holders working in Buckinghamshire, with the 1,969 workers accounting for 9.8 per cent of all employment in those occupations, ahead of professional and caring occupations.
Claimant count
Despite falling by 45 in June, the number of out of work Buckinghamshire residents claiming either Job Seekers’ Allowance or Universal Credit has risen by 14.5 per cent (375 claimants) in the last year.
Buckinghamshire’s claimant count has risen faster than the national rate for each of the last nine months, as shown in chart 5 at the end of this bulletin. Buckinghamshire’s increase in claimant count is close to three times higher than the national rate of 5.1 per cent and is the 7th highest of the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), ranking 10th among England’s 27 county council areas.
Labour market analysis
See the latest labour market data here >
Read the ONS's overview of the latest national labour market data here >
