People

Carlisle has experienced a steady population growth of 3.6% over the last ten years and has a sizeable working age population compared to the rest of Cumbria.

The city has demonstrated an outstanding level of resilience in face of the recession, maintaining a healthy level of total employment (73% employment rate for the city compared to 68% for the UK). Furthermore, a number of industries have seen increases in employment compared to national trends.

Carlisle performs broadly in line with the national average for skills but has noticeably lower employee costs compared to UK and Cumbria averages, which is an attractive proposition for locating commercial operations in the city.

Carlisle's workforce reflects a manufacturing heritage, with skilled trades and process workers representing a higher proportion of the workforce than the UK average.