Lackham Farm

rural industries home

statistics

employment opportunities

skills needed

qualifications and training

useful contacts

Production horticulture (source: Lantra)

Businesses and Employment:

Estimated 12,800 businesses employing 69,800 people.
31% of the workforce self-employed
40% of businesses sole proprietors.

Workforce Characteristics:

56% of the workforce are male.
27% work part-time.
42% of businesses reported employing casual staff over the last 12 months.
21% of the workforce are estimated to be over 55 years of age.

Regional Concentrations of the Workforce:

England accounts for 87% UK production horticulture employment.
Of which the South West accounts for 11%

graph2

It is also important to assess the likely 'job opportunities' created through the need to replace people who retire, change career, as well as any net demand created through employment expansion. Even where employment is declining overall, net occupational demand can still generate a significant number of 'job opportunities' and therefore related training requirements.

graph3

Landscaping (source: Lantra)

Businesses and Employment:

Estimated 37,800 businesses currently employing 112,400 people.
37% of the workforce is self-employed
63% of businesses are sole proprietors.

Workforce Characteristics:

Male dominated at 85% of the workforce.
Over a third (37%) work part-time.
Half of businesses reported employing casual staff over the last 12 months.
10% of the workforce are estimated to be over 55 years of age.

Regional Concentrations of the Workforce:

England accounts for 90% UK landscaping employment.
Of which the South West accounts for 11%

Evidence from the Institute of Groundsmanship indicates that Lantra's original estimate for groundsmen (13,000) may be too low. The Institute estimates the number of groundsmen to be in excess of 50,000. However, the Institute recognises the difficulty of estimating employment numbers due to issues such as double counting. Lantra will be re-visiting employment numbers within Landscaping as part of the ongoing research programme underpinning the Skills Foresight publications.