Plymouth’s economy is driven by a small number of sectors that includes marine / maritime and manufacturing, where the full time, well paid jobs are predominantly held by men. Recruitment and retention in these sectors is proving a challenge – graduates are leaving the city for better opportunities and wages, older people are stepping away from ‘careers’, lack of flexible working can exclude some women and many others don’t have the right skills.
Other significant sectors in the city, such as health and social care, retail and hospitality offer more flexible working and as such employ more women, but generally these are lower paid and lower skilled roles. Therefore, a wider range of flexible working needs to be available to balance the opportunities for all ages and genders, which will significantly boost the potential growth for Plymouth.
The cost of living crisis, with escalating housing and energy prices, is no match for low wages or even in-work benefits and it is clear that growing employment does not necessarily help people out of poverty. Many are holding down more than one job or are locked out of accessing good jobs, resulting in a lack of shared prosperity that will help the city to flourish in all ways.
Going forwards, Plymouth’s aim is to grow a prosperous economy that reduces inequality, is sustainable and truly serves the wellbeing of local people. The ambition is to shift behaviours and culture in support of long-term inclusive growth.
While this is not a new concept, the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has made inclusive growth an integral part of the city’s ‘building back better’ agenda for a fairer, greener future for Plymouth.
The Plymouth Charter have seven themes:
Spend – buy locally to help our city
Upskill – support everyone to develop their skills, helping them access great jobs and live fulfilling lives
Collaborate - engage with our ambassadors, champions, signatories and events.
Community – support community activities to improve quality of life
Employ – supply fair and flexible work opportunities that enable everyone to thrive
Environment – be environmentally responsible, responding proactively to the Climate Emergency
Deliver - are you reporting?