Improve annual report on food and drink manufacturing

Pay levels in food and drink manufacturing are continuing to move ahead of the UK average with some sectors experiencing “modest growth” in jobs according to a new report which underlines the relative resilience of food and drink processing in the continuing downturn.

Newly released Labour Market Information Profiles (LMI) for 2011-12 from food and drink manufacturing skills council Improve shows turnover at businesses in the sector up by 11 per cent – but there are marked regional variations with turnover in Northern Ireland up 45 per cent while businesses in the North East suffered a 46 per cent decline.

The annual report, which incorporates the latest available data from a variety of sources, shows that while the tough jobs market has made general recruitment easier, businesses face continuing difficulty in filling skilled vacancies - with the highest incidence of skills gaps in managerial, skilled trade, process, plant and machine operative roles.

“Some industries like confectionery and beverages appear to be doing better than others and there have been significant job reductions in bakery and meat but overall productivity continues to rise,” said Improve’s Head of Research Sukky Jassi.

“Food and drink manufacturing certainly isn’t immune from the effects of the poor economy but based on these figures, it is faring comparatively well at this time.”

Improve’s 2011-12 Labour Market Information Profiles provide a detailed breakdown of workforce, skills and business performance data at UK and regional level as well as for the UK nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The information can be used as a benchmark for firms seeking to boost performance through training and workforce skills management.

Improve’s latest LMI profiles incorporate a number of new business-friendly data sets including:

•          Detailed export information – export product performance across food and  drink manufacturing sub-sectors including the Top Five market destinations  for exports. For sectors such as Distilled Alcohol, the profile includes an  export focus page that demonstrates the export contribution the sector makes  to the UK economy.
•          New forecasting data produced with the input from global information  services company Experian.
•          Trend analysis data spanning a number of years

The full Labour Market Information Profiles available now via Improve’s website at www.improveltd.co.uk