Manchester leads the way in the science and technical services industry

According to findings by the UK’s leading “on-demand call answering customer services” company alldayPA, the city of Manchester is the leading borough in the North West in terms of its business count. With an impressive 22,580 companies spread across the city, popular hot spots such as Spinningfields, Deansgate and Ancoats have formed, with data showing the emergence of 1,085 more companies than was recorded in 2019, suggesting that entrepreneurs are taking advantage of Manchester’s many growth opportunities. In second place was Liverpool, who have 14,600 companies in the city centre. Followed by Stockport with 11,920, Trafford with 11,595 and Salford with 11,075.

The sector that has seen the highest growth in Manchester is the transport industry, as it has grown by 15.2% since 2020. Other findings revealed that the science and technical industry is also thriving, with over 4,000 (4,385) companies specialising in this sector in Manchester’s city centre alone. Warrington and Trafford follow suit, with both having over 2,500 of their companies based in the professional and technical services sector.

Boroughs ranked by their total number of businesses:

1. City of Manchester – 22,850 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (19.19% of businesses).
2. City of Liverpool – 14,600 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (16.92% of businesses).
3. Stockport – 11,920 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (19.17% of businesses).
4. Trafford – 11,595 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (22.94% of businesses).
5. Salford – 11,075 in total. The most popular industry is Retail (15.26% of businesses).
6. Bolton – 10,330 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (12.83% of businesses).
7. Warrington – 9,405 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (26.31% of businesses).
8. Wigan – 9,020 in total. The most popular industry is construction ( 17.29% of businesses).
9. Wirral – 8,785 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (17.81% of businesses).
10. Bury – 8,025 in total. The most popular industry is Professional, Scientific and Technical services (13.58% of businesses).

The Manchester-based company, alldayPA, also shared that the second-most popular industry in the North West is hospitality. Followed by wholesale, public administration and defence, and arts and entertainment, which suggests that the North West of the UK remains a firm fixture for companies in these industries seeking a base, with industry growth of over 4% since 2020. Meanwhile, industries such as retail, business and administration, motor trade and construction have grown by 1.48%.

However, it has not all been good news across the board. For the health, finance, insurance and education sectors, in particular, reports show that business growth has actually declined by 3.92% due to COVID-19. However, due to these industries being impacted by the pandemic, the Customer Service Advisors at alldayPA have been hands on deck to help these key workers. alldayPA have been fully on board, managing calls for the NHS COVID-19 support health line and have also assisted with admin, emails and customer requests for estate agents, as well as accounting and finance companies during 2020.

Head of Customer Services at alldayPA, Gareth Jeffery, comments on how the customer service team has helped these industries during the pandemic:

“After reviewing this research from our data team, we’ve been able to spot opportunities where, as a customer service company, our services can best help the companies that need us the most. We work with a lot of companies that are based in the retail, health, finance, property, law and property sectors, and we have made sure that customers get the assistance they need 24 hours a day. We have a team who are experienced with managing different-sized businesses, and we have been available throughout the week to assist with their customer enquiries.

“I’m delighted to see that businesses are continuing to grow in the North West, and we are excited as a Manchester-based team to work with more companies who are located across the 10 boroughs.” 

Along with helping a variety of businesses across these locations manage their calls, emails, web chat and social media, data analysts at alldayPA have also been able to share insights into these companies’ sizes, revealing that most of the businesses have under 49 employees. Over two thirds (78.89%) of businesses located in the North West have 4 or less people, 17.76% have under 19 people, and the remaining 3.35% have 20-49 people. From this data, our analysts have been able to demonstrate the rise of SMEs in the North of the UK and how many business owners are in fact looking at more outsourcing due to the size of their companies.

Founder of alldayPA, Reuben Singh, shares how the North West is leading the way for small business growth: 

“It’s great to see that the North West, and Manchester in particular, is leading the way for SME growth, with the data analysed by our team revealing that most businesses founded in 2021 are under 30 people in terms of staff count. We feel that it’s important, as a northern customer service provider, to let business owners know that we’re here to support them with their customer enquiries no matter what sector they are in.

“We’ve also looked into the sector growth, and it’s interesting to see that the transport, property, retail, and professional, science and technical industries are continuing to thrive in the North West and are likely to keep growing in the new year. We’ve also noticed how the transport sector has been massively impacted due to logistic issues across the country with a limited number of courier and HGV drivers. To help people plan ahead for 2022, we’ve put some processes in place to give small businesses the support they need during autumn and winter. With Black Friday and Christmas approaching, we are here to give people our expert advice and guidance when it comes to their call, email and virtual communications management. Our service operates on a 24/7/365 basis, which gives people the time to wind down in preparation for the holidays.”

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