Overview
East Renfrewshire’s economic landscape is diverse, with significant activity in sectors such as professional, scientific, technical activities, real estate, and trade. The region shows a healthy balance of sectors, a considerable number of SMEs, and a notable presence of companies in innovative fields. The employment landscape is also dynamic, with a significant percentage of companies experiencing growth.
Employment and Business Growth
- Total Employees: East Renfrewshire employs 13,267 individuals. The region saw a noteworthy 10.76% employee growth, indicating an expanding job market.
- Top Sectors: The leading sectors are professional, scientific and technical activities (15.66%), real estate (13.14%), and wholesale and retail trade (12.61%). This diverse economic base contributes to the region’s resilience and potential for growth.
- Companies with Employment Growth: There were 4 companies with notable employee growth, suggesting a dynamic business environment where certain businesses are expanding rapidly.
Business Continuity
- Company Cessations: There were 5555 company cessations and 467 companies declared dead in the recent period, which indicates a competitive market with a significant churn rate. This could point to both the challenges and dynamism in the regional economy.
- New Companies: East Renfrewshire welcomed 576 new companies in the last two years, reflecting an environment conducive to new business ventures.
- SMEs: With 3,339 SMEs, the region has a strong backbone of small and medium-sized enterprises, crucial for economic stability and diversity.
Gender and Age Diversity in Leadership
- Founders’ Gender: The percentage of female founders stands at 38.46%, while male founders make up 61.54%. This shows a significant representation of women in entrepreneurial roles.
- Directors’ Gender: Female directors account for 28.91%, with male directors at 66.59%. The region demonstrates a moderate level of gender diversity in corporate leadership.
- Age of Directors: Directors are distributed across age groups, with a higher concentration in the 40-60 age range. This indicates a mix of experienced and relatively younger leadership in the business sector.
Innovation and Business Development
- Patent Owners and Fundraisings: With 22 patent owners and 2 fundraising events, there’s evidence of innovation and investment activity in the region.
- Exporters and Companies with Foreign Parentage: 49 exporters and 13 companies with foreign parentage underline the region’s integration in the global market.
Conclusion
East Renfrewshire presents a dynamic and diverse economic landscape with a strong base in professional and technical services, real estate, and trade. The presence of a considerable number of SMEs and new companies indicates a robust entrepreneurial spirit. The employment growth rate is promising, although the high number of company cessations suggests a competitive and evolving market. The region shows moderate gender diversity in leadership roles and a range of director age groups, reflecting a blend of experience and new perspectives in business management. Innovation is present, albeit on a smaller scale, as evidenced by the number of patent owners.