CIA-1443576922

People and Skills

Chemical manufacturers and suppliers require a workforce with varying levels of STEM skills not just to cope, but to innovate. Our industry provides many of the solutions to many societal and environmental issues and our highly skilled, technically advanced workforce play a leading role in the charge for industrial decarbonisation.听

The UK鈥檚 chemical assets provide direct employment for听138,000 people, mainly in the North West, North East, South Wales and Grangemouth in Scotland.听On average our employees earn听21% more than other manufacturing industries听补苍诲听27% more than the average worker听in the economy. These are highly skilled jobs in science and engineering, and local supply chains mean that our economic contribution has a very strong regional multiplier; we support听500,000 jobs indirectly.

17.5% (1)

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People form the heart of the UK chemical and pharmaceutical industry

Delivering the future

Our key issue is 鈥�to attract and retain the right diverse talent for our industry鈥�. Vacancies now are 10% higher than pre-pandemic as significant numbers of people have taken the option of early retirement in our sector but across the economy too. The 153,000 direct employees plus the hundreds and thousands of contractors who support the work of chemical businesses need to be succeeded when the time comes for them to leave. Companies are making every effort to attract and retain staff through remuneration and employment policies.听

View our 4 policy recommendations >

17.5% (9)

Our Chemical Industry

CIA is committed to maintaining and growing a strong skills base to ensure the continued success of our industry. We work closely with government and industry on skills issues. Explore facts and figures about the UK Chemical Industry, by clicking on each region of the map

Region Information

Click on a map region to discover more.

Scotland

  • 拢3.2产苍

    Exports

  • 拢2.7产苍

    GVA

  • 8,500

    Employment

  • 260

    Businesses

North East

  • 拢2.8产苍

    GVA

  • 拢2.6产苍

    Exports

  • 9,000

    Employment

  • 125

    Businesses

Yorkshire and the Humber

  • 拢3.4产苍

    GVA

  • 拢3.4产苍

    Exports

  • 17,000

    Employment

  • 330

    Businesses

East Midlands

  • 拢1.8产苍

    Exports

  • 拢1.4产苍

    GVA

  • 10,500

    Employment

  • 320

    Businesses

East England

  • 拢8产苍

    Exports

  • 拢3.7产苍

    GVA

  • 12,000

    Employment

  • 375

    Businesses

London

  • 拢7.2产苍

    Exports

  • 拢0.8产苍

    GVA

  • 3,150

    Employment

  • 610

    Businesses

South East

  • 拢11.3产苍

    Exports

  • 拢5.6产苍

    GVA

  • 14,500

    Employment

  • 545

    Businesses

South West

  • 拢1.3产苍

    Exports

  • 拢1.5产苍

    GVA

  • 10,000

    Employment

  • 305

    Businesses

Wales

  • 拢2.5产苍

    Exports

  • 拢1.9产苍

    GVA

  • 8,500

    Employment

  • 195

    Businesses

West Midlands

  • 拢1.4产苍

    Exports

  • 拢0.9产苍

    GVA

  • 6,500

    Employment

  • 345

    Businesses

North West

  • 拢8.1产苍

    Exports

  • 拢8.5产苍

    GVA

  • 27,000

    Employment

  • 610

    Businesses

Northern Ireland

  • 拢1.3产苍

    Exports

  • 拢0.5产苍

    GVA

  • N/A

    Employment
  • Chemical and pharmaceutical exports (拢bn)
  • Gross Value Added (拢bn)*
  • Employment
*Data includes SIC 19 - Manufacturing of coke and petroleum鈥‵igures correct as of Q1 2024鈥⊿ource: Office for National Statistics
INWED-2024-logo

Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day听

Launched by the in 2014, the International Women in Engineering Day provides a profile to female engineers around the the world, promoting the amazing work they are doing. It is an opportunity to focus on the great opportunities available to girls in the industry.听

We asked some of our female engineers working for CIA member companies, why chemical engineering?

Find out more

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Chemistry for a Better Tomorrow听

The Chemical Industries Association has partnered with ITN Productions to launch听Chemistry for a Better Tomorrow, a news and current affairs-style programme reporting on the importance of the multi-billion pound chemical industry and the significant impact the sector has on our day to day lives, economic progress, UK operations and the future for the next generation.

Watch the series >

The CIA and published the output from a series of executive roundtables on the future skills requirements of the chemical sector.听

Future skills and the chemical industry

This report makes an important contribution to our understanding of the sector鈥檚 current position on skills at a critical time. We look forward to working together to address the challenges outlined in this report. 

Find out more

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Be part of it听

Members are invited to get involved with the our Education and Employment Strategy Group.听
For further information, or to express an interest in joining, please contact
Simon Marsh at [email protected]听

What is the Education and Employment Strategy Group?听

Find out more >