{"id":21290,"date":"2024-02-22T11:29:33","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T11:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=21290"},"modified":"2024-02-26T17:43:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T17:43:02","slug":"why-bolsover-could-be-the-next-port-talbot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/why-bolsover-could-be-the-next-port-talbot\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Bolsover could be the next Port Talbot"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Tata Steel closed in Port Talbot, other local labour markets dominated by singular employers or industries may also be vulnerable,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0write Daniel Muir, Research Economist at IES<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and Nick Litsardopoulos, Research Economist at IES<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Last month, it was <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> that Tata Steel would be closing its blast furnaces in Port Talbot. This sparked discussion about the continued changes to Britain\u2019s industrial mix, its importance for national security, and the sacrifices that need to be made in pursuit of Net Zero. Underneath all these big picture debates though, this news will have hit the people of Port Talbot the hardest. The steel works was a major employer in the area, providing both a key source of employment and some relatively high quality, high paying job opportunities as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking a look at <\/span>Adzuna\u2019s intelligence portal<\/span><\/a>, their proprietary dashboard that displays a wide range of aggregate statistics based on job postings data, we can see just how important Tata Steel was within Port Talbot\u2019s labour market. <\/span><\/p>\n

The chart below shows that in the year leading up to the announcement, Tata Steel was by far the top hiring employer in the area, holding 421 vacancies which was around 27% more than Tesco, the second top hiring employer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chart<\/p>\n

In addition to this, it was largely the only major hiring employer outside of the retail, hospitality and care industries, i.e., typically lower paying industries with roles largely concentrated at the lower end of the skills spectrum.<\/span><\/p>\n

The engineering sector (which Tata Steel operated in) also typically contains a lot of apprenticeship opportunities, meaning great pathways from education into high quality careers for young people. <\/span><\/p>\n

The table below shows the main occupations being hired for in the engineering sector in Port Talbot over the same period, dominated by Tata Steel. These were largely relatively high paying and highly skilled positions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chart<\/p>\n

On the year, this means that average salaries of vacancies is down 4% in Port Talbot, compared to 6% growth across the UK as a whole. For more information on how Tata Steel\u2019s closure in Port Talbot can be seen in Adzuna\u2019s data, see <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> comment from Tony Wilson, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Putting Tata steel closures in context, below is from the @adzuna<\/a> Intelligence Portal that we have access to.
\nOver last year it has been the *single largest hiring employer* in Port Talbot – and virtually the only major employer outside of retail, hospitality, care.
\n🧵 pic.twitter.com\/xKWkpH1I1g<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tony Wilson (@tonywilsonIES) January 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n