Overview
Renfrewshire’s economic landscape shows a dynamic mix of sectors, with significant activity in professional, scientific, technical, construction, and retail trade. The region displays a healthy balance of established businesses and emerging companies, indicated by the number of new companies and the presence of scale-ups. The gender diversity in leadership roles, particularly among company founders and directors, presents a noteworthy aspect of the business environment.
Employment and Business Growth
- Total Employees: Renfrewshire boasts 67,048 employees, a figure that underscores the region’s significant role as an employment hub.
- Employee Growth: There is a positive trend in employee growth, with a 12.06% increase, indicating a robust and expanding job market.
- Top Sectors by Number of Companies: Leading sectors include professional, scientific, and technical activities (14.77%), construction (13.96%), and retail trade (13.75%). These sectors are pivotal to the region’s economic vitality.
- Sectors with Rising Company Numbers: Food and drink processors, marketing services, hardware stores, advertising, and business training services are notable for their growth, suggesting emerging areas of economic opportunity.
Business Continuity
- Company Cessations: The number of companies that have ceased operations stands at 965, which is a critical metric for assessing business sustainability in the region.
- New Companies in 2 Years: With 2,057 new companies in the past two years, there’s a clear indication of entrepreneurial spirit and business formation.
- Scaleups: 52 scaleups demonstrate the region’s capacity to support growing businesses.
- SMEs and Exporters: The presence of 5,693 SMEs and 184 exporters highlights the region’s strong backbone of small and medium-sized enterprises, contributing significantly to its economic diversity and international trade links.
- Patent Owners and Fundraisings: With 284 patent owners and 6 fundraisings, Renfrewshire shows promising signs of innovation and investment attractiveness.
Conclusion
Renfrewshire presents a robust and diverse economic landscape, characterised by significant employment opportunities, a strong mix of established and emerging sectors, and a commendable level of gender diversity in leadership roles. The growth in employee numbers, new company formation, and the presence of scaleups are positive indicators of the region’s economic health. However, the number of company cessations signals the need for continuous monitoring of business sustainability.