Within Bromley there are a number of distinct employment areas. These areas contain 70% of the borough’s jobs and 57% of firms. Each employment area has its own characteristics:
- Bromley town centre employs the most people 30% of the Borough’s workforce) and has an equal presence of business and finance, public administration and retail.
- Beckenham has numerous restaurants, shops and recreation facilities Orpington town centre is very much dominated by retailing
- Penge is principally a retail centre with its own street market
- Manufacturing dominates in the Cray Valley, Biggin Hill, and Lower Sydenham employment areas.
Working population
The population of the borough is around 300,000. A more flexible economy is emerging with increases in self-employment, part-time working and temporary contracts. The most prevalent signs of this trend are:
- an increase in part-time employment while full-time working continues to decline
- a rise in self employment
- a quarter of all the Borough’s employed residents work in the business and finance industry, although public services remain the largest employment sector
- Bromley has one of the lowest unemployment rates in London although in certain areas, such as Penge and the Cray Valley, rates are significantly higher
- a highest percentage (over 30%) of employed residents in Bromley are occupied in managerial and professional jobs.
Bromley's workforce
There are around 80,000 employed in the borough. The trends affecting the workforce are similar to those experienced by the working residents:
- there were more women working in Bromley than men
- just under two thirds of Bromley’s workforce is in fulltime employment although this figure is falling, while part-time working particularly by males is increasing
- working at home is increasing, while those commuting into the borough from outer London and beyond is also increasing.
Businesses
- there are approximately 7,700 firms registered for VAT in the borough. Like other local economies in the area, small firms dominate but in total employ less of the workforce than larger firms
- business and finance continues to grow, the majority of firms in this employment sector being legal, advertising, and employment agencies
- over half of the firms employ less than 5 people less than 1% of firms employ over 200, although this accounts for 30% of total employees.