Vital Signs MK 2025 - Report - Page 17
Work
Work and employment are central
to the prosperity and resilience of
any community. In Milton Keynes,
employment patterns, income levels,
and business activity re昀氀ect the area’s
economic environment.
The employment rate in Milton Keynes has risen to 77.7% in
2024, up from 76.0% in 2023, remaining competitive with
England’s average of 76.8%. Similarly, the economic activity
rate now stands at 79.5%, indicating a highly engaged
workforce. In 2023, Milton Keynes had a workforce of 187,000
employees, with the majority (71.7%) working full-time and
53,000 employees (28.3%) working part-time.
However, economic inactivity remains a concern, with 20.5%
of residents aged 16-64 classi昀椀ed as economically inactive.
While this marks a modest improvement from 21.6% in 2023, it
highlights ongoing challenges of re-engaging these individuals
in the workforce.
Notably, 87.3% of inactive individuals are not currently seeking
employment. This trend may re昀氀ect barriers such as long-term
illness or caregiving responsibilities, as evidenced by the 19.4%
of inactive individuals citing long-term sickness.
Looking back, employment in Milton Keynes declined by 4.3
percentage points between 2020 and 2023, while economic
inactivity rose by 4.9 percentage points over the same period,
peaking at 21.6% in 2023, slightly above the national average of
21.0%. These trends re昀氀ect the economic challenges of recent
years and the need for continued e昀昀orts to support workforce
participation.
Unemployment in Milton Keynes remains notably low, with a
rate of 2.3% among those aged 16-64 and 2.4% across all age
groups, lower than England’s average of 3.8%, pointing to the
stablity of the local labour market. However, disparities emerge
when examining speci昀椀c demographics.
Earnings data for 2024 highlight a persistent gender pay gap
in Milton Keynes. Full-time workers earn a median weekly wage
of £773.00, which is higher than the national average (£729.80)
but slightly below the South East average (£779.20). However,
men working full-time earn £844.90 per week, while women
earn £708.50—a pay gap of 19.2%. This gap is narrower than
the regional average (22.1%) but wider than the national gap
(15.5%), underscoring ongoing disparities despite strong
female employment levels.
Occupational data highlights the diversity of employment
sectors across Milton Keynes. Professional occupations
account for 25.7% of all jobs, followed by associate professional
roles (12.6%) and managerial positions (11.7%). This distribution
underscores the area’s emphasis on skilled and knowledgebased industries. Conversely, elementary occupations and
process, plant, and machine operatives collectively make
up 15.2% of employment, indicating a smaller yet essential
industrial and operational workforce.
Milton Keynes’ Workforce
The workforce in Milton Keynes re昀氀ects a diverse range of
occupations.
•
Leadership roles, including managers, directors, and
senior o昀케cials, account for 14.1% (19,700 people) of
employment locally.
•
Professional occupations make up 24.5% (34,100
people) of the workforce in Milton Keynes.
•
Administrative and secretarial roles are also prominent,
representing 10.5% (14,600 people) of employment
locally. Similarly, 9.5% (13,200 people) of jobs in
Milton Keynes are in caring, leisure, and other service
occupations.
•
Elementary occupations, including manual and
entry-level jobs, make up 10.0% (13,900 people) of
the workforce locally.
•
Skilled trade occupations represent 9.2% (12,800
people) of employment in the city.
Males aged 16-64 show slightly higher economic activity
(83.5%) and employment rates (81.1%) compared with females in
the same demographic (75.6% and 74.4%, respectively). Yet, the
unemployment rate for females is remarkably low at just 1.6%,
suggesting higher job retention or a preference for stable roles.
Vital Signs MK - 12th Edition 2025
17
