The business demography of Shropshire can be measured in births, deaths, active businesses and survival rates. The following is a summary of business start-up, closure and survival trends in 2021.

Active businesses

The number of active businesses in Shropshire in 2021 was 13,650.

Business births and deaths

In 2021, 1,270 new businesses started up in Shropshire, a rate of  9.3% (start ups as a percentage of all active businesses). This was lower than in the West Midlands (14.2%) and nationally (12.4%). The number of business deaths in the county was 1,010 or 7.4% of active businesses. The regional and national rates were 13.0% and 11.2% respectively.

Survival rates

Shropshire businesses enjoy relatively high levels of survival compared with the regional and national averages. After one year, 95.6% of businesses founded in 2016 were still operating - this drops to 65.1% after three years, and to 49.0% after five years.

Jobs in Shropshire

Figures for Shropshire show that in 2022 there were:

• 126,000 jobs in Shropshire, which is a net increase of 10,000 jobs since 2015
• 82,000 (65%) were full time and 44,000 (35%) were part time
• Part-time employment is more common in Shropshire than in the West Midlands or nationally (32% and 31% respectively)
• The largest employment sectors are health, manufacturing, wholesale/retail and education, with these providing over half of all Shropshire jobs

The figures, produced as part of the Business Register and Employment Survey dataset by the Office for National Statistics ((c) Crown Copyright 2023), are based on jobs in Shropshire. Therefore, there will be other residents in employment who may work elsewhere.

Earnings in Shropshire

Shropshire supports a low-wage economy, with workplace earnings significantly lower than national or regional averages. This arises from Shropshire's traditional reliance on jobs in low-paid sectors such as agriculture, tourism and food and drink.

Although workplace earnings are low, resident earnings are much more aligned to the national average. The difference between workplace and resident earnings is influenced by high levels of out-commuting among the highest earners.

• In 2022, the median national weekly wage was £642.00
• The total median workplace earnings per week for full-time employees in Shropshire were £598.10 in 2020 – £43.90 per week less than the national average
• Female wages were 81% of male wages - the gap between male and female earnings has narrowed in recent years.
• Median full-time weekly earnings amongst Shropshire residents were £637.40 in 2022 - £5.20 less than the national average
• The hourly rate of pay for full-time employees is significantly higher than it is for part-time employees.

The Office for National Statistics offers more detailed information on labour market data for Shropshire and elsewhere

The Office for National Statistics offers more detailed information on labour market data for Shropshire and elsewhere

Labour market