Shropshire Council

Employment and economy

Shropshire supports a primarily small-business economy. Self-employment is high, and significant numbers work from home/run businesses from home. There are comparatively few large employers, and employment is largely concentrated in the county town of Shrewsbury, and the main market towns of Oswestry, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth and Ludlow.

Key sectors include land-based industries, health, education, retail and manufacturing. Shropshire is under-represented in private sector services such as professional, scientific and technical, and finance and insurance. The mix of sectors in Shropshire contributes to comparatively low workplace wages and to low levels of productivity (GVA generation).

For more detailed employment and economic information, use the links on this page to look at the various groups of information, or take a look at our Shropshire Economic Profile.