The Get West of England Working Plan (GWEWP) sets out how we as a region will work together over the next ten years to tackle unemployment, economic inactivity, and labour market inequalities.

By 2035, the West of England aims to be a place where every resident can access good work, employers have the skilled workforce they need, and young people benefit from clear, inclusive pathways into education and employment.

Download the Get West of England Working Plan (PDF, 1mb)

By setting out the region’s labour market priorities, this plan, in tandem with my Growth Strategy, offers a blueprint for change. It will help bring partners and resources together, focusing on what matters most – the needs of our residents. That’s how we’ll build a West of England that works for everyone.

Mayor Helen Godwin

The situation in the West of England

Despite a strong economy, many residents face barriers to work, including ill health, caring responsibilities, low pay and insecure employment. The Plan focuses on getting more people into work, supporting progression into better-paid and more secure jobs, and creating clear pathways for young people into education, employment or training.

£53.7bn economy
45900 businesses
662000 jobs supported
110000 more jobs than 2016
35819 vacancies (2022)
78.9% employment rate (16-64)
29300 people with no qualifications (4%)
66000 jobs below the living wage (11%)
2.9% claimant rate

What’s causing and driving economic inactivity and inequality?

Labour market demand
  • Part time, precarious employment
  • Insufficient job opportunities where people live
  • Risks from technological change
  • Cautious employers
  • Lack of inclusive practices
Personal factors
  • Ill-health and disability (including learning disabilities and autism)
  • Caring responsibilities (children and adults)
  • Lack of skills, confidence, self esteem and motivation
  • Age, race, gender and intersectionality
Infrastructure
  • High housing and living costs
  • Poor transport and digital connectivity
  • Insufficient and unaffordable childcare
  • Places and communities
Systems
  • Complex employment and skills landscape
  • Disincentives to work from the benefits system
  • Outcome targeting frameworks disincentivising groups
Social and cultural factors
  • Demographic stereotyping and non-inclusive practices
  • Poor perception of some entry level roles
  • Family experiences
  • Generational unemployment

To address these challenges, the plan sets out three aims for the next ten years

HGV driver smiling
1. Get more people into work

Focused on supporting economically inactive and unemployed people into work, particularly those with ill health, and groups facing persistent employment inequalities.

Two office workers
2. Get more people into better paid, more secure work

Recognising that people in low-paid, insecure jobs are more likely to cycle in and out of unemployment and that there are opportunities to prevent people from falling out of work as well as progress their careers.

Young person working on machine
3. Get more young people into education, employment or training

Recognising that we’re attracting top talent and have strong universities but there is need to ensure more young people, particularly those with additional needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds, fully benefit from the region’s opportunities.

These three interconnected strategic priorities are underpinned by two cross-cutting themes: working with employers to reduce vacancy rates and tackling employment and health inequalities.

Our track record and commitment

We have achieved much together in partnership already:

220,000 visits

Our flagship Skills Connect site has received 220,000 visits, with user figures growing month on month and Unitary Authority coaches have, to date, supported over 3,460 participants.

4,600 people supported

Our Future Bright programme to help people in work take their next steps, supported 4,600 people by end of March 2025.

460 participants supported

Our multi-disciplinary WorkWell teams working in partnership with VCSE specialists have supported over 460 participants, with 62 % reporting improved mental health.

63,970 residents supported

63,970 of our residents have been supported to realise their potential and achieve 115,762 learning aims through the devolved Adult Skills Fund.

Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

Our Youth Guarantee Trailblazer has already supported 232 young people engaged and a further 122 in pilot wards.

These provide excellent foundations on which to build. However, we need to go further and faster if we are to ‘move the dial’ on economic inactivity and unemployment in the region. We cannot simply continue with ‘business as usual.’