Overview
Wealden presents a dynamic economic landscape, characterised by a diverse range of sectors, a steady growth in employment, and active business development. The presence of sectors like professional, scientific and technical activities, construction, and retail trade underlines the region’s multifaceted business environment. This report delves into Wealden’s economic indicators, including employment, business growth, sector dynamics, company trends, and gender diversity in leadership roles.
Employment and Business Growth
- Total Employees: Wealden has 42,948 employees, indicating a robust workforce. The 5.49% employee growth rate suggests a positive economic trend, showing job creation and potentially attracting more talent to the area.
- Sectors with Employment Growth: The sectors showing significant growth in Wealden include food and drink processing, e-commerce, social networking, internet platforms, and mobile apps. This reflects a shift towards more technology-driven and service-oriented industries.
Sector Dynamics
- Top Sectors by Number of Companies: The leading sectors in Wealden are professional, scientific and technical activities (2,133 companies), construction (1,668), and wholesale/retail trade (1,500). This diversity suggests a balanced economic base with multiple drivers of growth.
- Emerging Sectors: Notably, sectors like e-commerce and mobile apps are among the top risers, highlighting Wealden’s adaptation to digital trends and the growing importance of the tech sector.
Company Trends
- Total Companies: Wealden has a total of 12,883 companies, with 1,152 new companies in the past two years. This signifies a healthy, growing business environment.
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): With 10,553 SMEs, the backbone of Wealden’s economy lies in small to medium-sized businesses, crucial for local employment and innovation.
- Scaleups: 64 scaleups in the region indicate a nurturing environment for business expansion and potential future economic drivers.
Business Continuity
- Company Cessations: There have been 1,016 company cessations, a figure that needs to be contextualised within the overall number of companies and new startups.
Gender Diversity in Leadership
- Founders’ Gender: The gender split among founders is 21.78% female, 75.25% male, and 2.97% unknown, showing a male-dominated entrepreneurship landscape.
- Directors’ Gender: 29.23% of directors are female, 66.78% male, and 3.98% unknown. This indicates a gender gap in corporate leadership, although female representation is slightly higher than in the founder demographic.
Conclusion
Wealden’s economic health is highlighted by its diversified sectors, steady business growth, and a robust number of SMEs. The rise in technology-driven sectors signals a modernising economy. However, gender diversity in leadership roles remains an area for potential improvement. The overall economic indicators point towards a resilient and evolving business landscape in Wealden.