The most common jobs in Northumberland revealed

Office for National Statistics figures show Northumberland residents were most commonly working as sales and retail assistants when the census was carried out in 2021, with 6,265 employees in the sector.

This is equivalent to one in 29 working-age people in the area – defined by the ONS as aged between 16 and 64.

Sales and retail assistants were followed by 5,585 people working as care workers and home carers, and 3,075 in other administrative occupations.

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.

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

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.”

The figures further show around 17,420 Northumberland residents were working in the broader category of managers, directors and senior officials – the most highly skilled job category according to the ONS.

Meanwhile, 13,840 were working in so-called 'elementary' occupations, defined as requiring the least amount of education or training.

This means 7.6% of the working-age population were in very low-skilled roles.