Revealed: the most common jobs in Wigan

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

New figures show how most people earn a living in Wigan.

And Office for National Statistics figures reveal that Wigan residents, despite the ongoing decline of the high street, were most commonly working as sales and retail assistants when the census was carried out in 2021, with 6,725 employees in the sector.

This is equivalent to one in 30 working-age people in the area – defined by the ONS as aged between 16 and 64.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Read More
Archive pictures of Wigan summer show in the 1960s and ’70s
The high street may be in decline but there are more people earning a living as sales and retail assistants in Wigan than in any other jobThe high street may be in decline but there are more people earning a living as sales and retail assistants in Wigan than in any other job
The high street may be in decline but there are more people earning a living as sales and retail assistants in Wigan than in any other job

Sales and retail assistants were followed by 5,880 people working as care workers and home carers, and 4,095 as warehouse operatives.

Research by the ONS suggests some jobs may be dying out across England and Wales – for instance, the age profile of typists and bookbinders is far older than those carrying out data entry and analysis.

There have been warnings in recent years certain jobs may be automated out of existence, as new technology simplifies repetitive tasks in both manual and office settings.

James Reed, chairman of the jobs website Reed.co.uk, said we have reasons to be optimistic about the future job market.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: "Sales professionals who can build genuine relationships, healthcare providers tending to the needs of our ageing population, and educators shaping young minds – these will continue to be popular and coveted vocations."

"While technology propels us forwards, this is not to say that our innate human qualities will become redundant in the pursuit of meaningful and important work," he added.

The figures further show around 16,170 Wigan residents were working in the broader category of managers, directors and senior officials in Wigan – the most highly skilled job category according to the ONS.

Meanwhile, 17,550 were working in so-called “elementary” occupations, defined as requiring the least amount of education or training.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This means 8.8 per cent of the working-age population were in very low-skilled roles.

Across England and Wales, sales and retail jobs were the most common, with around 1.1 million workers, followed by more than 800,000 people employed in the care sector.

Julius Probst, labour economist at the recruitment service TotalJobs, says jobs in care will be crucial in the years to come, especially as they are difficult to automate.

He said: "Countries like the UK will experience a rapidly ageing population over the next two decades as the share of people aged 60 or above is going to increase substantially."

"These are tasks that robots will not be able to take over anytime soon," he added.

News you can trust since 1853
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice