Appendix One
THE ECONOMY The Workplace Economy Industrial Structure Broad Sectors 1.1 In 2005, there were approximately 114,200 employee jobs in Doncaster1. 1.2 Figure 1 shows the composition of these jobs by broad sector and compares the structure of employment in Doncaster with neighbouring authorities and the regional average. It shows that the Yorkshire and Humber region differs slightly from the national employment structure as it has a higher proportion of jobs in manufacturing and public administration and a lower share of jobs in other financial business services. The structure of the South Yorkshire economy is similar to the overall regional employment structure. However, Doncaster’s employment structure differs slightly from the average across South Yorkshire as it has a lower proportion of employment in business services and a greater proportion in public administration. Business Services in Doncaster accounts for 9% of total employment, 3% below the sub-regional average. Employment in Public Administration, Education and Health accounts for 31% of employment in Doncaster, 2% more than the Sub-regional average. 1.3 Amongst the districts, Bassetlaw has the highest proportion of manufacturing jobs, accounting for 19% of the district’s total employment. Sheffield has the highest proportion of business services jobs, providing 14% of the total employment. Figure 01 Industrial Structure, 2005
100%
90% 25% 26% 27% 30% 31% 30% 29% 28% 80%
70% 7% 4% 6% 6% 5% 6% 6% 6% 8% 60% 13% 11% 8% 12% 14% 9% 14% 15% 50%
10% 13% 40% 13% 12% 12% 11% 12% 6% 30% 6% 6% 6% 6% 6% 6% 20% 6% 18%
10% 16% 16% 14% 12% 12% 14% 11%
0% Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield Bassetlaw South Yorkshire Yorkshire and Great Britain The Humber
Agr & Fish En & Wat Manuf Constr Whole Hotel & Cat Retail Bank & Ins Bus Sev Other FBS Trans & Comm Public Admin Other Services Source Annual Business Inquiry 2005 1.4 Table 1 further examines the industrial structure within Doncaster by identifying the activities that can be regarded as Doncaster’s current strengths as they provide more than 500 jobs and the location quotient is greater than or equal to 1.3, thereby
1
Appendix One
indicating that the share of employment in this sector in Doncaster is 30% above the national average. Table 01 Location Quotient, 2005
No. of Jobs in LQ Doncaster 20 : Manuf wood/products/cork, etc 665 2.0 25 : Manuf rubber and plastic goods 2,187 2.7 26 : Manuf other non-metallic products 945 2.2 27 : Manuf basic metals 599 1.9 31 : Manuf electrical machinery/apparatus nec 719 1.4 45 : Construction 7,223 1.4 50 : Sale,maintenance/repair motor vehicles 3,881 1.6 60 : Land transport; transport via pipelines 5,034 2.2 85 : Health and social work 18,846 1.4 90 : Sewage/refuse disposal, sanitation, etc 607 1.4
Source Annual Business Inquiry 2005 1.5 With the exception of health and social work these activities tend to be industrial and warehousing activities. The importance of freight distribution is highlighted by the land transport sector, which will include the distribution and logistics activities carried out by B & Q distribution, Next Distribution, Ikea Distribution Centre, Power Logistics, Wincanton Logistics, and ACR Logistics. The over-representation in the manufacture of rubber and plastics products will reflect the presence of Polypipe, the largest plastics manufacturer in Europe, in the borough. 1.6 In contrast, activities which are least represented in Doncaster (i.e. with the lowest LQ’s) are those in the financial and business services sectors, including other business services and financial intermediation. 1.7 Figure 2 (below) shows the location quotient for each of the industries in Doncaster (at 2 digit SIC level) where employment numbers are equal to or greater than 500, plotted against that industry’s national growth rate (1998 -2005). 1.8 Sectors which fall above the horizontal axis have encountered growth in the period 1998-2005. The higher up the scale it lies, the faster the growth has been over the last 7 years. These growing sectors can be subdivided into two groups: i) The north-east quadrant of the graph shows sectors that are over-represented in the local economy. The further to the right the sector lies against the y axis the greater is that sector’s over-representation. The sectors within this quadrant can be divided into two groups namely those that occupy ‘B space’ and sectors which serve local needs such as retail, health and social work and education. ii) The north-west quadrant identifies sectors that have grown nationally but which are under-represented in Doncaster’s economy. The sectors within this quadrant are mainly those classified as financial and business services that occupy office space. 1.9 Sectors which lie below the horizontal axis have been experiencing a decline in employment nationally. Many of these activities are in the manufacturing, wholesale and financial sectors. Most of these sectors are found in the south-east quadrant of the graph, thus indicating that Doncaster tends to have a high proportion of generally declining sectors.
2
Appendix One
Figure 02 Industrial Structure and Growth, Doncaster, 1998 - 2005
60% Real Estate Act
40% Support Aux Trans Act
Leisure Education Health & Social Work Other Bus Act 20% Other Services Hotels & Restaurant Retail Construction Act of Membership Org Post and Telecommunications Financial Intermediation Land Transport Public Admin 0% Wholesale Sale and Repair of motor 0.0 0.5 1.0Sewage and Refuse 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 vehicles Mfg of Wood Mfg of Transport Equipment Mfg of Food & Beverages GB Growth 98 - 05 -20% Mfg of Motor Vehicles Mfg of Fabricated Metal Mfg of Non Metallic Minerals Mfg of furniture Insuance and Pension Funds Mfg of Rubber & Plastics Mfg of Other Mach
-40% Mfg of Electrical Mach etc Mfg Basic Metals
-60% LQ
Source Annual Business Inquiry 1998 and 2005
3
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1.10 In summary, despite a prolonged period of restructuring, Doncaster’s industrial structure remains unfavourable in general terms to employment growth, which will adversely affect the demand for business space. The data shows that: many sectors growing nationally are under-represented in the district; many of the sectors declining nationally are over-represented in Doncaster, thereby implying that further reductions in employment in these sectors are likely Knowledge Based Employment. 1.11 Employment in knowledge-based industries is recognised as a key measure of economic competitiveness, which is itself a determinant of current and future prosperity. The thinking behind this view is summarised in a quote from the Government White Paper Our Competitive Future: Building the Knowledge Economy: “In a knowledge-driven economy….the generation and exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth. Companies in countries with higher labour costs, such as the UK, therefore have to innovate and adapt continuously to retain their competitive edge.” 1.12 Figure 03 shows employment in knowledge based industries according to the OECD definition.2 Figure 03 Knowledge Based Industries, 2005
18%
1% 16% 1% 2% 14% 1% 1% 3% 1% 12% 1% 1% 10% 2%
1% 8% 1% 0% 12% 1% 12%
% of total employment % of total 0% 6% 1% 10% 9% 7% 4% 7% 4% 6%
2%
0% Bassetlaw Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield South Yorkshire Y & H GB
Hi Tech Manuf FBS Computing Media Communication
Source Annual Business Inquiry 2005 1.13 In South Yorkshire, 13% of jobs can be described as ‘knowledge based’ which is identical to the regional average yet below the national average of 17%. 1.14 In Doncaster knowledge-based jobs account for 9% of total employment, which is below the national, regional and sub-regional averages. Of the comparison local authority areas, Sheffield has the highest level of knowledge-based employment (KBE) with some 15% of jobs found in these sectors, in part reflecting the presence
2 OECD – need reference
5 Appendix One
of the universities. However, Doncaster’s position is better than that found in Bassetlaw where KBE accounts for less than 6% of all employment. Business Space Occupiers 1.15 In this study we focus on jobs that occupy ‘business space’, compromising of office, warehousing and industrial jobs, jointly referred to as ‘B space’ occupiers. 1.16 To identify these jobs we apply a definition of Industrial, Warehousing and Office occupiers based on sectors from the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003. Industrial space occupiers consist of manufacturing industries and certain parts of the construction industry, motor repairs/ maintenance and sewage and refuse disposal. Warehousing occupiers are made up from a variety of transport and distribution activities which are widely spread across the Standard Industrial Classification. 1.17 The definition of office occupiers that we use is derived from the ODPM definition (source town centre work), which is also set out in Appendix 1, although we also include public administration activities. We have approximated the SIC sectors as closely as possible at a detailed (4 digit) level. 1.18 The correspondence between sectors and types of space is not perfect and hence our definitions of office and industrial/ warehousing jobs are no more than approximations. But, they are the best approximations, which we have developed through a series of recent employment space studies. 1.19 As Table 2 demonstrates, ‘B space’ employment accounts for 36% of total employment within the District of Doncaster, which is lower than the national average. Employment in Industrial and Warehouse occupiers account for 24% of total jobs, 3% above the national average. Conversely, office-based employment accounts for a modest 12% of jobs, significantly below the national average of 21%. Table 02 Business space employment, 2005
Jobs % of all Jobs % of all jobs LQ in Doncaster in GB
Industrial 17,962 16% 14% 1.2 Warehousing 9,598 8% 7% 1.2 Offices 13,452 12% 21% 0.6 Total B Space Jobs 41,012 36% 41% 0.9 Non B Space Jobs 73,209 64% 59% 1.1 Total Employment 114,221 100% 100% 1.0 Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2005 Employment Change 1.20 Figure 4 shows employment change in Doncaster compared to the sub-regional, county, regional and national average. Figure 5 shows employment change compared to the neighbouring local authority areas.
6 Appendix One
Figure 04 Employment Change in Doncaster 1995-2005
130
125
120
115
110 Index 1995 =100 1995 Index
105
100
95 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Doncaster South Yorkshire Yorkshire and the Humber GB Linear (Doncaster)
Source Annual Business Inquiry and Annual Employment Survey Rescaled. 1.21 Over the longer term all areas show an upward trend and all areas have encountered a faster growth rate after 1999, except for GB which appears to have experienced diminishing growth since 2001. Doncaster’s employment change was faster than all other benchmarks increasing by 24,000 jobs (27%) over the 10 year period. 1.22 Amongst the comparison districts and boroughs, growth rates appear to be volatile. Overall, Doncaster ranks second to Rotherham while Bassetlaw has experienced the lowest growth in employment reflecting a large reduction since 2002 which has erased strong gains up to that date.
7 Appendix One
Figure 05 Employment Change 1995-2005
145
140
135
130
125
120
Index 1995=100 115
110
105
100
95 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield Bassetlaw
Source Annual Business Inquiry and Annual Employment Survey Rescaled. The Residents 1.23 Our analysis thus far has focused upon the workplace economy. In this section we will profile the attributes and activities of the resident population within the district regardless of where they work. Population Change Figure 06 Population Change 1994-2005
6.0%
5.0%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
-1.0% Doncaster Barnsley Rotherham Sheffield Bassetlaw South Yorkshire Y & H GB
Source Mid Year Population Estimates
8 Appendix One
1.24 Figure 06 shows that population growth in Yorkshire and Humberside has been half the national rate over the last ten years. South Yorkshire has encountered modest growth since 1994 of 0.1% much of this can be explained by the economic restructuring in the area due to the decline of the mining industry. In Doncaster population growth has declined by 0.3%. By contrast, Bassetlaw has shown high population growth, stimulated by the additional 8,000 dwellings provided within the district over the last 10 years. Qualifications 1.25 Figure 07 shows the qualification levels of residents in Doncaster compared to other benchmark economies. The positive bars represent the proportion of working age residents that have attained NVQ level 4/5, whereas the negative bars indicate the population with relatively poor educational attainment as it shows the proportion of residents that have no qualifications or who have attained NVQ level 1. 1.26 It shows that Yorkshire and Humber residents are less well qualified than residents in England and Wales. Similarly, educational attainment in South Yorkshire is below the regional average. Doncaster’s residents are less educated in comparison to the sub-region, the region and the nation. Amongst the comparison boroughs and districts Doncaster ranks below most districts with the exception of Barnsley. Figure 07 Qualifications of residents 2001
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
-30%
-40%
-50%
-60% Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Bassetlaw Sheffield South Yorkshire Y & H E & W
No Quals & Level 1 Level 4/5
Source Census 2001 Deprivation 1.27 Table 03 shows the rank of each local authority area, based on the average Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) of the Super-Output Areas covered by that local authority. Of the 354 local authority areas in England, the district experiencing the most deprivation ranks 1 while the least deprived ranks 354.
9 Appendix One
Table 03 Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 Rank of Average Ranking Barnsley 28 Doncaster 40 Sheffield 60 Rotherham 63 Bassetlaw 82
Source ODPM 1.28 Doncaster is relatively more deprived than most of the benchmark districts except for Barnsley. The data also indicates that in comparison to the local authorities in England and Wales, Doncaster is ranked in the bottom 12% of most deprived districts. 1.29 The IMD is made up of several domains, one of which it is useful to consider further, namely the ‘Index of Employment Deprivation’. This index measures involuntary exclusion of the working age population from work and includes: Unemployment claimant count (JUVOS) of women aged 18-59 and men aged 18-64 averaged over 4 quarters (2001). Incapacity Benefit claimants women aged 18-59 and men aged 18-64 (2001). Severe Disablement Allowance claimants women aged 18-59 and men aged 18-64 (2001). Participants in New Deal for the 18-24s who are not included in the claimant count (2001). Participants in New Deal for 25+ who are not included in the claimant count (2001). Participants in New Deal for Lone Parents aged 18 and over (2001)
10 Appendix One
Figure 08 Employment Deprivation in Doncaster
1.30 This shows that significant proportions of the borough, but especially to the north and west of the town centre, are locations where the proportion of residents not working (in 2001) is amongst the worst in England. The Labour Market Earnings 1.31 In Figure 09 below, the orange bars represent the earnings of residents of Doncaster and other benchmark economies regardless of where they work and the pink bars indicate the earnings of those who work within these areas, regardless of where they live. 1.32 Resident earnings are approximately £442 per week in the GB, (equivalent to £23,100 pa) while in Yorkshire and Humberside and South Yorkshire gross weekly earnings are £397 (equivalent to £20,600 pa ) and £388 (equivalent to £20,200 pa) respectively. Residents of Doncaster on average earn £385 per week (equivalent to £20,000 pa) which is below the sub-regional average, the regional and national average. In comparison, to the other borough and district benchmarks, Doncaster’s resident earnings rank middling, below Sheffield and Bassetlaw. By contrast, Barnsley’s residents have the lowest gross weekly earning earnings (£380 equivalent to £19,800 pa).
11 Appendix One
Figure 09 Gross Weekly Earnings, 2006
460
440
420
400
380 £ Gross Weekly Earnings Weekly Gross £
360
340
320 Barnsley Rotherham Doncaster Sheffield Bassetlaw South Yorkshire Y & H Great Britain
Residents Workplace
Source: Annual Survey of Earnings and Hours 2005 1.33 Workplace earnings in Doncaster are £387 per week, (equivalent to £20,100 pa) which is below the sub-regional average (£388 per week, equivalent to £20,200 pa) the regional (£392 per week, equivalent to £20,400 pa) and the national average (£443 per week, equivalent to £23,000 pa). In comparison, to the other districts Doncaster’s workplace earnings is ranked middling, below Sheffield and Bassetlaw. Unemployment 1.34 According to the 2001 Census, the national unemployment rate based upon the ILO3 measure stood at 5.0%. Yorkshire and Humberside’s unemployment was slightly higher at 5.7% and South Yorkshire’s unemployment rate was higher still, standing at 6.6%. Doncaster’s unemployment rate was 6.8%, greater than in the other comparator economies. Table 04 ILO Unemployment rate Unemployment Rate Doncaster 6.8% Sheffield 6.6% South Yorkshire 6.6% Barnsley 6.5% Bassetlaw 6.3% Rotherham 6.2% Yorkshire & Humberside 5.7% England & Wales 5.0%
Source Census 2001
3 Unemployment here, is based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition and taken from the Census 2001, measures the numbers of people who say that they are economically active, currently not working and actively seeking work. This is the ‘official’ definition of unemployment used by the Government. ILO unemployment is also available from the Labour Force Survey more recently than the Census. However, much of the data is statistically unreliable, and so we have not included it here.
12 Appendix One
1.35 Figure 010 shows a time series analysis compared to the county, regional and national average. Figure 010 Unemployment rate compared to county, region and nation 1996 -2007
10
9
8
7
6
5
4 Unemployment Rate % 3
2
1
0
6 7 0 2 5 6 7 9 9 97 98 99 99 00 0 01 0 03 04 05 0 06 0 0 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 19 19 19 20 20 20 2003 20 20 20 ry ly 1996 ry ly 1 ry 1998 y 1 y y ry ry ly 2002 ry ly 2 y 2 y ry 2 y ry a ul ul a a ul a a Ju ua Ju J J Jul July 2001 Ju ua Ju J Jul Jul nu n nuary 2 nu nu n nu nu a a a a Ja Ja Janua January 1 J J Ja Ja January 2004 January 2 J J
GB Y & H Doncaster South Yorkshire Source Labour Market Trends 1.36 This alternative measure shows that averages are lower as economies have converged to their long run steady state, although there has been an upturn more recently. Travel to Work 1.37 The analysis in this section is based on the Census 2001, which is the most recent information available. We describe the travel to work patterns for Doncaster and compare it with the other benchmark economies 1.38 Table 05 shows the commuting balance for all South Yorkshire boroughs and the district of Bassetlaw. The data shows that Doncaster is a net exporter of labour to the extent of approximately 9,700, equivalent to 8% of resident workers. Table 05 Commuting Balance, 2001
Resident Workplace Live & Work In Net SC Rate SC Workers Workers district Balance (RES) (Wkpl) Barnsley 88,762 74,473 59,253 -14,289 67% 80% Doncaster 118,362 108,690 89,434 -9,672 76% 82% Rotherham 106,489 93,860 65,264 -12,629 61% 70% Sheffield 218,493 243,409 182,806 24,916 84% 75% Bassetlaw 46,145 46,756 32,812 611 71% 70%
Source Census 2001 1.39 The pattern of commuting is similar across skilled and unskilled occupations.
13 Appendix One
Commuting patterns in Urban and Rural Doncaster 1.40 Using the Countryside Agency’s rural and urban definition, we have amalgamated the wards in Doncaster to form two sub areas4: rural Doncaster and urban Doncaster. We can then examine commuter flows to and from these rural and urban areas. 1.41 Table 0.6 shows there are 26, 000 residents in work in Rural Doncaster, of whom 42% commute into Urban Doncaster, 29 % commute to locations in Rural Doncaster, 5 % travel to neighbouring Rotherham and the remaining 24% are spread amongst other Yorkshire and Humber districts and Nottinghamshire. Table 0.6 Workplace of residents in work of Rural Doncaster
Live in Rural Doncaster Work in : Total 26,118 100% Urban Doncaster 11,058 42% Rural Doncaster 7,549 29% Rotherham 1,343 5% Rest of Y & H 1,049 4% Wakefield 956 4% Sheffield 951 4% North Yorkshire 883 3% Nottinghamshire 790 3% Leeds 591 2% Other 948 4%
Source Census 2001 1.42 Table 0.7 shows that in urban Doncaster there are 92, 200 residents in work, 73% of whom work within urban Doncaster, 5% commute to Rotherham, 4% travel to work in rural Doncaster and the remaining 18% commute to other districts within the Yorkshire and Humberside region or in the regions of the North West or North East. Table 0.7 Workplace of residents in work of urban Doncaster Live in Urban Doncaster and Work in Total 92,152 100% Urban Doncaster 67,210 73% Rotherham 4,894 5% Rural Doncaster 3,712 4% Sheffield 2,843 3% North Lincolnshire 1,944 2% North Yorkshire 1,992 2% Wakefield 1,596 2% Leeds 1,487 2% The rest of the regions of Y & H, NW and NE 1,478 2% Barnsley 1,462 2% Nottinghamshire 1,444 2% Other 2,090 2%
Source Census 2001
4 Rural Doncaster incorporates the wards of Adwick, Askern South East and Southern Parks. Urban Doncaster is an amalgamation of the Armthorpe, Balby, Bentley Central, Bentley North Road, Bessacarr, Central, Coinsborough, Edlington and Warmsworth, Hatfield, Intake, Mexborough, Richmond, Rossington, Stainforth, Town Field and Thorne.
14 Appendix One
Self Containment 1.43 The self containment rate – the percentage of working age residents who also work in the district – is used as a measure of sustainability. In Doncaster, this rate stands at 76%. We compare this rate to other areas in South Yorkshire and the neighbouring district of Bassetlaw. Figure 0.11 Self Containment rates in districts
90%
Sheffield 80% Doncaster Bassetlaw 70% Barnsley
Rotherham 60%
50%
40%
Self Containment Rate (%) Rate Containment Self 30%
20%
10%
0% 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 No. of Jobs
1.44 The regression line indicates a positive relationship between the number of jobs in the districts and the self containment rate. 1.45 Figure 0.11shows that Doncaster’s self containment rate is greater than most of the other districts except for Sheffield and thus Doncaster’s self containment rate is slightly higher than one might expect given the high number of jobs within the district. Distance and Travel Mode 1.46 Long journeys to work can have various adverse impacts. They may affect the quality of life and real incomes, put pressure on infrastructure and- especially if made by car – they may cause traffic congestion and environmental damage. The figures on inter-authority commuting which we considered earlier do not tell us much about these adverse affects, because they are based on local authority areas and thus a journey which crosses a local authority is not necessarily longer or more undesirable than one that does not. 1.47 To provide an alternative measure of the possible adverse impact of commuting, Table 08 shows the average distance travelled to work by residents of each area and Figure 012 shows mode of travel.
15 Appendix One
Table 08 Residents’ Average Journey to Work, 2001 Average KM Bassetlaw 10.8 Doncaster 10.3 E & W 9.4 Rotherham 9.0 Barnsley 9.0 South Yorks 8.9 Y & H 8.8 Sheffield 8.0
Source Census 2001 1.48 Table 08 shows that on average, working residents in Yorkshire and Humberside have a shorter commute to work than is the average for England and Wales as a whole. South Yorkshire residents’ journey to work is similar to the regional average. Doncaster’s residents travel further than in most of the comparison areas except for Bassetlaw, while Sheffield’s residents have the shortest journey to work. Figure 012 Mode of Transport
100% 8% 11% 10% 10% 11% 10% 11% 10%
8% 6% 8% 6% 9% 8% 8% 7% 80%
60% 52% 61% 57% 55% 56% 60% 58% 63%
40%
7% 20% 18% 13% 10% 12% 10% 8% 3%
7% 8% 7% 7% 9% 7% 8% 9% 0% Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield Bassetlaw South Yorks Y & H E & W
Working From Home Underground, metro, light rail, tram Train Bus, minibus, coach Motor Cycle, Scooter or Moped Driving a Car Passenger in a Car Taxi or Minicab Bicycle On Foot Other
Source Census 2001 1.49 Figure 012 shows that, in comparison to the national average, a high proportion of residents in Yorkshire and Humberside use a bus to commute to work. The pattern for South Yorkshire as a whole is similar to the regional pattern except that an even higher proportion of residents use the bus to travel to work. 1.50 The pattern in Doncaster is in general similar to that in South Yorkshire and the region, except that slightly more residents commute to work by car. Amongst the other comparison areas, slightly more than half of Sheffield’s residents commute to work by car, which is significantly lower than the other areas. In addition 18 per cent of residents in Sheffield commute to work by bus, double the national average.
16 Appendix One
Key Points 1.51 Doncaster’s economic structure is not especially favourable for future employment growth, despite evident restructuring and recent job increases. It still has high proportions of manufacturing activities which are expected to reduce in scale at the national level. Also, there is a relatively small base in financial and business services from which to expand, combined with a relatively high proportion of people employed in public services. Although this sector has seen a period of recent expansion, this is not expected to provide scope for equivalent growth in the in the future. 1.52 Land transport activities (including distribution and other logistics operations) is an existing strength that has experienced recent growth in the borough and is likely to show increases in employment in the future. Refuse disposal is also highlighted as being a strong sector which offers scope for expansion in the future. This includes recycling activities which are increasingly encouraged by legislation covering the disposal of consumer products in particular. 1.53 Doncaster has a relatively low proportion of jobs which occupy business space (B space), due mainly to the low representation of office based activities, not the industrial and warehousing activities. This reflects the historic production base to the Doncaster economy and office based sectors will increase as a share of total employment in the future. 1.54 Despite the unfavourable economic structure, Doncaster has performed well in terms of job growth in recent years, with an increase of some 24,000 jobs between 1995-2005. This rate of increase was better then the national, regional and Sub- Regional averages. Although Doncaster has also outperformed Sheffield, Rotherham has seen a higher rate of employment growth. 1.55 Employment and economic growth is obviously affected by many more factors that employment land availability. A key facet to continued growth in Doncaster will be increasing the share of employment in higher skilled occupations, especially in areas such as financial and business services. This will require improvements in the availability of skilled labour – and area where Doncaster remains weak. 1.56 Although unemployment levels in Doncaster have improved dramatically over the past decade, the rates in the borough remain high compared to the national and regional levels, but also in comparison to its neighbouring areas. 1.57 A high proportion of residents of Doncaster travel to work using a bus compared to the national average, but a higher proportion also travel to work by car, reflecting the relatively small numbers commuting by train and tram.
17