The Centre for Cities has published its Cities Outlook report; their annual ‘Healthcheck’ on the UK’s 63 cities.

Warrington is classed as a city in the report due to the size of its population currently standing at 207,000.

This year’s report focusses on the impact that artificial intelligence, automation and other technological change will have on jobs over the next 12 years to 2030.

The report concludes that all cities are likely to see an increase in jobs, across both the public and private sectors, to some extent replacing jobs lost to technology. Indeed the findings conclude that the UK job market and economy is at no more risk now to automation and globalisation that it has been over the last century.

It predicts that cities with relatively weak economies are less likely to prosper and particularly those which are more dependent on welfare.

Warrington’s economy continues to perform strongly and Warrington features 8th highest in the UK in terms of the number of private to public sector jobs. Nationally it is the only urban economy in the North to feature in the top 10.  Moreover in its table of ‘Cities and jobs likely to see an increase in demand to 2030’, ie those cities which have been successful in attracting jobs to date and react to the changing labour market, Warrington was ranked as 6th best in the UK, the only city in the North of England in the top 10 and it ranked higher than London who was placed 9th. Warrington ranks 5th out of the 63 cities and it comes to the high-skill private sector occupations that are likely to grow up to 2030, suggesting that the trajectory of Warrington’s economy is looking strong on a national scale.

Warrington also has the highest GVA in the North of England with an average of £49,400.

Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council said, ‘The Centre for Cities annual statistics are a useful, independent, barometer of economic performance for our major urban areas and once again it is good to see Warrington performing so well. Maintaining and building upon this position in order to maintain jobs and build a vibrant and diverse economy is of paramount importance and we must not be complacent. To this end our framework for growth, Warrington Means Business is set in place to achieve that aim’

Steve Park, Managing Director of Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for growth commented,
‘Warrington is in an enviable economic position and it is encouraging to see these predictions to 2030. The Warrington economy has traditionally been one of resilience and of embracing change and I see no sign of that changing’.