New report from LinkedIn and GMCA identifies Manchester

Greater Manchester is a centre for creative talent and an economic hub drawing in thousands of people from across the country, according to a groundbreaking new report being launched today (Friday 29 January).

The report, Greater Creators, is a collaboration between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, who have analysed the profile information of their 614,000 members in Greater Manchester to provide a detailed snapshot of skills and employment in the region. The report marks the first time government at any level in the UK will use LinkedIn data to shape digital training and skills provision in education and workplaces.

LinkedIn looked specifically at four key factors - workforce and skills, hiring, migration and education – and their findings provide a wealth of new insights into the Greater Manchester workforce:

• Amongst people moving from London to Manchester, the top skills are digital marketing, user interface design, TV and video production
• There are also high numbers of people moving to the region with skills in game development, theatre and drama, writing and publishing, social media marketing and TV and video production
• Camera operation was the skill most likely to get people hired in the 12 months to August 2015
• 24,000 LinkedIn members moved to the region in the same period

Commenting on Greater Creators, Tony Lloyd, Interim Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester is delighted to work with LinkedIn to explore how we use their expertise and knowledge to help us improve our skills offer and boost the city-region’s economy.

“As the first European region to establish this kind of partnership Greater Manchester is outlining its ambition to lead the UK in skills provision. We are also establishing ourselves as a leading and innovative global city in the use of data to shape policy and improve lives.”

Councillor Sean Anstee, Greater Manchester Lead for Skills, Employment & Worklessness, commented: “Our partnership with LinkedIn has enabled us to access a wealth of workforce data which will help us to improve our education and skills offer to meet the future needs of Greater Manchester businesses and residents.

“The report is incredibly positive and helps us to highlight the strength of the city-region’s creative, tech and digital sector and our ability to attract talent and roles from across the North and London. We will use the findings to inform a Greater Manchester Digital Skills Action Plan to improve digital training and skills provision within schools, higher education and in workplaces across the region.”

The report is the first result of the #ProjectManchester campaign in 2015, a joint effort between LinkedIn and the GMCA to help the Authority understand, and plan, what skills the people of GM need to fill the 110,000 new jobs forecast to come to the region in the next decade. The project forms part of LinkedIn’s global Economic Graph initiative to map the global economy.

Cabinet Office Minister and Paymaster General Matt Hancock said: "Getting the right skills, for the right jobs in the right place is mission critical for a strong economy. This is where data maps come into their own – demonstrating for the first time that technology and data can be used in partnership to build a highly skilled local workforce. The potential is huge and this new project must not be underestimated."

Josh Graff, Country Manager, LinkedIn UK, added: “Our goal is to create economic opportunity for everyone in the global workforce. With almost 60 per cent of the UK workforce on LinkedIn, we have a wealth of data and can provide policy-makers with unique insights into the labour market, enabling them to shape policy, foster skills development, and create opportunity in Manchester and elsewhere across Britain.”