From new decade optimism to lockdown uncertainty
On Wednesday 1 January 2020 we welcomed in a new year and a new decade . We knew 2020 would bring change for the UK with Brexit and our departure from the European Union , but in general business optimism was high .
I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home , protect our NHS and save lives .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on Coronavirus , Monday 23rd March 2020 .
Many hoped 2020 would ring in new beginnings and the 20s could live up to its previous name of a century ago , the ‘ Roaring 20s ’. Little did we know that the start of the 2020s would usher in complete change in an entirely different way .
On 31st January 2020 the first two Coronavirus cases were confirmed in the UK . For nearly two months many of us continued as usual , listening to the news that the risk was low . The Swindon and Wiltshire events calendar got underway , and many in-person networking events continued until early March when concern was starting to grow over the impact of the virus . On 11th March , The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) declared the Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) outbreak a global pandemic , with the mood quickly shifting and a national lockdown announced on Monday 23rd March 2020 . The rest is history .
An overview of the Swindon and Wiltshire Economy Pre-pandemic
Population 722,200 living in Swindon and Wiltshire 60.6 % working age Slightly higher levels of employment than UK average 78.4 % vs UK av 75.7 % Two thirds in full time employment which is under UK average More likely to be in managerial , professional or manufacturing roles compared to rest of UK Unemployment in September 2020 estimated at 2.3 % in Swindon and Wiltshire compared to 4.2 % across the UK 30,000 businesses across Swindon and Wiltshire in 2020 .
Businesses by employee size in Swindon , Wiltshire and the UK ( 2020 )
Swindon Wiltshire UK
Micro ( 0 to 9 ) 89.1 91.5 89.5 Small ( 10 to 49 ) 8.2 7.0 8.7 Medium-sized ( 50 to 249 ) 1.8 1.2 1.5 Large ( 250 +) 0.7 0.3 0.4
© Wavehill : social and economic research April 2021