Demographics and the labour market
Overview
Kirklees had a population of 433,500 residents in 2021. In the ten years from 2011, the population increased by 2.5% - a slower growth rate than for Yorkshire and Humber (3.7%) or England (6.6%) as a whole. In 2021, 62.2% of the Kirklees population was aged 16-64 or of working age, slightly lower than the working age population of England as a whole (63%).
Kirklees is a net exporter of labour to other parts of West Yorkshire, with 2021 (pre-COVID) data highlighting significant net outflows of commuters to Leeds in particular (-13,564 commuters) but also to Bradford, Calderdale and Wakefield. There is a small net inflow of less than 1,500 commuters from Barnsley.
Commuting patterns partly explain why the number of jobs available in Kirklees relative to the number of working age adults (the 'jobs density') is low - at just 0.66 in 2022, compared to the England average of 0.88. Job density is also higher in the adjoining local authority areas (e.g. Wakefield 0.80, Calderdale 0.83, Leeds 1.03) which suggests there is scope to increase employment and economic activity rates in Kirklees as long as residents have the necessary skills and the right environment for business growth is in place.
There has been a significant reduction in the number of adults holding no qualifications - in December 2023 this equated to 6.6% of residents aged 16+, only marginally higher than the England average of 6.2%. The proportion of Kirklees residents qualified to at least Level 2 (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades A-C) also mirrors the England average, but there is a significant divergence at Levels 3 and 4.
41.2% of Kirklees residents hold a degree or higher qualification (RFQ Level 4) - significantly lower than the England average. Closing the gap would require almost 15,000 Kirklees residents to achieve a Level 4 qualification.
