REGIONAL ANALYSIS: North West

Pay - Average earnings in the North West grew from £440 per week in 2011 to £510 per week in 2018. This equates to growth of 2.1% per year. This growth was above average for the UK as a whole. However, around three in ten workers are still paid less than the Real Living Wage of £9.00 per hour (this is estimated to be the minimum needed to afford the cost of living).¹International Competitiveness - The value of the goods exported in the North West in 2018 was £28bn, or £6,100 per working age person.² Relative to the size of its population, the North West exported fewer goods than any other region in the UK other than Yorkshire and the Humber, and a third lower than the West Midlands. This is despite the proportion of jobs in manufacturing being very similar in the two regions, at around one in ten.³

In exports of services, the North West is performing much better. In 2016/17 the North West exported £13bn of services, or £3,000 per working-age person – more per person than any of the rest of the North, the Midlands and Wales.⁴

Government Investment - Government investment per person in housing and amenities has been among the lowest in the North West over the past 5 years , with estimated average investment of just £60 per person per year. This is significantly lower than the UK average of £110 per person.⁵