Wage Levels

The following table is data for wage levels of people living in Glasgow.

	2011	2012	2011-12
25 percentile	£17,879	£17,994	0.6%
Median	£24,447	£24,447	0.0%
75 percentile	£34,190	£33,988	-0.6%

Remarkably, the median annual wage level in Glasgow remained the same between 2011 and 2012.  The data is provided as a list ranked by amount; and the median is the value exactly in the middle of the ranking.  The value for the 25 percentile and 75 percentile has also been given, showing amounts for (relatively) low pay and (relatively) high pay respectively.

For people working in Glasgow, regardless of where they live, the details are as follows.

	2011	2012	2011-12
25 percentile	£18,153	£19,324	6.5%
Median	£25,269	£26,201	3.7%
75 percentile	£35,264	£36,359	3.1%

Commuting patterns explain the difference between residence-based and workplace-based income levels, and this has been a long standing feature of the labour market in and around Glasgow.  Less clear is the explanation why workplace-based income rates increased between 2011 and 2012, while the residence-based rates remained the same.

Employment Data

For the year to December 2012, the employment rate in Glasgow stood at 58.6%, based on 246,500 persons employed out of a working age population of  420,300.  As well as being a fall from the previous year's rate of 62.4%, this is the first time since the current dataset began in 2004 that the rate has fallen below 60%.  For comparison, the Scottish rate was 69.5%.  In Glasgow the number employed fell by 15,800 over the year.

The fall in employment has not been matched by an increase in unemployment, but by an increase in inactivity, which increased by 18,900 over the year.  The concerning aspect of this is that it could reflect a perception that there is a lack of jobs in the city.

Perhaps too much can be read from one set of figures.  Confirmation that this is a trend can come from the next set of employment data, to be released in July 2013.

Economy Snapshot

This is an overview of the economies in Glasgow and Scotland.

Labour Market Details

Try this link to get the latest labour market details for Glasgow.

Youth Unemployment by Ward: October 2012

This is estimated from the number of people aged 18-24 receiving Job Seekers Allowance.  The most recent data shows

• 5,990 people aged 18-24 claimed JSA (October 2012) out of a total estimated population of 68,083 in the age group (2011);
• the rate of 8.8% in Glasgow compares with 7.3% in both Scotland and the UK.

The details for Glasgow Wards are

• Linn: 310 claimants (10.9% of 18-24 population);
• Newlands/Auldburn: 245 (10.7%);
• Greater Pollok: 350 (10.6%);
• Craigton: 285 (9.5%);
• Govan: 365 (10.4%);
• Pollokshields: 135 (6.7%);
• Langside: 110 (6.5%);
• Southside Central: 375 (11.6%);
• Calton: 290 (10.4%);
• Anderston/City: 160 (2.4%);
• Hillhead: 185 (3.7%);
• Partick West: 180 (5.1%);
• Garscadden/Scotstounhill: 270 (9.0%);
• Drumchapel/Anniesland: 390 (12.9%);
• Maryhill/Kelvin: 290 (9.7%);
• Canal: 420 (10.4%);
• Springburn: 310 (11.1%);
• East Centre: 310 (10.0%);
• Shettleston: 230 (9.6%);
• Baillieston: 335 (10.4%);
• North East: 445 (12.6%).

The city total is a 9.2% decrease over the October 2011 figure (Scotland -8.2%, UK -8.8%) and generated by decreases in areas like Garscadden/Scotstounhill, Calton and Springburn.

Unemployment by Ward: October 2012

Job Seekers Allowance (October 2012)

The details for Glasgow Wards are

• Linn: 1,045 claimants (5.5% of 16-64 population);
• Newlands/Auldburn: 905 (5.6%);
• Greater Pollok: 1,310 (6.3%);
• Craigton: 1,195 (5.7%);
• Govan: 1,710 (8.0%);
• Pollokshields: 550 (3.5%);
• Langside: 580 (3.6%);
• Southside Central: 1,450 (6.7%);
• Calton: 1,305 (8.1%);
• Anderston/City: 850 (3.5%);
• Hillhead: 695 (3.3%);
• Partick West: 830 (3.6%);
• Garscadden/Scotstounhill: 1,205 (5.9%);
• Drumchapel/Anniesland: 1,335 (7.3%);
• Maryhill/Kelvin: 1,165 (6.4%);
• Canal: 1,515 (7.2%);
• Springburn: 1,250 (7.0%);
• East Centre: 1,220 (6.1%);
• Shettleston: 930 (5.8%);
• Baillieston: 1,030 (4.9%);
• North East: 1,525 (7.0%).

These rates are based on the 2011 mid year estimates of the working age population.

Employment Rate

This measures the proportion of the working age population (aged 16-64) in employment.  It is resident based and includes people living in Glasgow that either work in Glasgow or out-commute.  It therefore excludes in-commuters.  The most recent information is from the Annual Population Survey for the year ending June 2012, and is that

• 259,600 working age adults in Glasgow are in employment;
• this is 63.2% of working age population, based on a working-age population of 410,800;
• it is an increase of 3,400 (1.3%) from the comparable figure in 2011;
• while the number employed is lower than the levels in 2008 and 2009, it is higher than the comparable levels in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

You could conclude from this that employment levels are slowly recovering from the recession: they have not yet reached the highpoint of 2008, when the level reached 270,000, but they are still higher than the level of the middle of the last decade.

Additional points are

• the size of the working age population has been increasing (and possibly underestimated) so that this increase in employment numbers does not translate directly to increases in the employment rate;
• the employment rate for men (67.2%) is higher than the female rate (57.3%) and the recent increase has affected more men than women;
• the full-time/part-time ratio is 3:1 and the main recent increase has been in part-time jobs;
• while the employment rate for 16-24s has been falling, the rate for both 25-49s and 50-64s has increased.

For comparison

• the UK employment rate is 70.1%, and 70.9% for Scotland;
• Birmingham is 58.4%, Manchester 58.7%, and Liverpool 59.0%;
• Leeds is 68.7%;
• all as a percentage of the 16-64 working age population.

But note that estimates of the working age population vary.  In Leeds, it varies from 552,100 (March 2012 Annual Population Survey) to 551,500 (2010 mid year estimate) and to 513,400 (2011 Census, but for 15-64 population).  We'll only get the full picture once the Census results for Scotland become available, around December 2012.