Economy, Planning & Employability Services Kirkcaldy Area Committee Economy and Employability Grant Leaburn, Employability and Skills 28 th October 2015

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 2 Labour Market – Jobseekers Allowance Claimants Figure 1: JSA Claimant Count Rates by Area Committees JSA Claimant Count Rates The JSA rate in the Kirkcaldy area averaged 4.4% or 1,652 claimants in This was the second highest JSA rate of the 7 committee areas. Across Fife there were over 7,300 JSA claimants in 2014, accounting for 3.1% of the working age population. Monthly snapshot: As at August 2015, Kirkcaldy has1,505 registered JSA claimants, which is 4.0% of the working age population. Youth Unemployment Fife Council and the Opportunities Fife Partnership are committed to increasing youth employment. The latest JSA claimant rate for those aged years in the Kirkcaldy area was 5.7% (August 2015), or 345 claimants. This is down from 7.3%, or 440 claimants,12 months ago. Fife Jobs Contract (previously Fife Youth Jobs Contract) In 2014/15 over 600 clients participated in the Fife Jobs Contract across Fife. Just under one quarter of clients (143 or 23.6% ) were from the Kirkcaldy area. Source: Claimant Count, Nomis

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 3 Employment by Sector Figure 2: Energy, Tourism and Manufacturing Employment in Key Sectors Fife is predominantly a service-based economy, however, manufacturing, energy and tourism continue to be key sectors where Fife can grow. In 2013 approximately 21,900 were employed in the Kirkcaldy area. The manufacturing, energy and tourism sectors provided around 3,100 jobs, or 14% of all employment in the Kirkcaldy area. In employment terms energy is not a large employer n the Kirkcaldy area. Table 1: Top 3 Employment Sectors in the Kirkcaldy Area Source: Business Register and Employment Survey, Nomis SectorEmployment (No and % of total)* Public sector8,400 (38.4%) Wholesale & retail trade4,400 (20.1%) Administrative and support service activities1,700 (7.8%) * As a percentage of total employment in the Kirkcaldy area Reliance on the Public Sector The public sector provides a large proportion of employment in the Kirkcaldy area. Almost 40% of people (8,400) working in the Kirkcaldy area are public sector employees. Health and social work makes up the bulk of this (6,200) followed by education (1,400) and public administration (800).

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 4 Business Activities Figure 3: New Business Start-ups in the Last 2 years Figure 4: Commercial Property Occupancy in 2014/15 Business Gateway New Start-ups There were 124 new business starts in the Kirkcaldy area in 2014/15. This is 15.5% of the Fife-wide total of 801 new business start-ups. Fife Investment Fund provided £43.3k in grants and loans to businesses in the Kirkcaldy area which helped to support 29 jobs in 2014/15. Commercial Property There are 80 Fife Council owned premises in the Kirkcaldy area totalling over 81,600 sq ft. In 2014/15, 74 units were occupied across 6 locations. Kirkcaldy has a 93% occupancy rate compared to the 91% Fife-wide occupancy rate. Employment Land According to the 2014 Employment Land Audit there is no immediately available employment land in the Kirkcaldy area. The Employment Land Audit for 2015 is currently being completed. Source: Business Gateway Fife Source: EPES, Fife Council

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 5 Employability and Skills Sets Figure 5: Employability Pathway Clients 2014/15Employability Pathway 286 people from the Kirkcaldy area were Employability Pathway clients in 2014/ % of the Fife total. There were 1,393 clients across Fife – a 34% increase on the previous year. Development of School Partnerships with Employers Business Employability Support Service - recommended by the Wood Commission. OFP and council services working to provide support for businesses and generate work placement, training and job opportunities. Potential skill gaps identified across 6 key growth sectors– construction & engineering; food & drink; health & care; tourism & hospitality; energy engineering/manufacturing; and ICT and technology. Culture of Enterprise Across Fife 64% of schools engaged in activities in 2014/15 – up from 49% in 2013/ businesses were involved with the activities in 2014/15 – a threefold increase from 72 businesses in 2013/14. Activities across Kirkcaldy schools included Enterprise Game, Manufacturing Challenge, Micro Tyco, Your Future’s Unlimited; Primary Engineer and St Andrews Responsible Enterprise workshop. Source: EPES, Fife Council

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 6 Town Centres – Retail and Development Retail Floorspace Kirkcaldy and Burntisland are the 2 main town centres in the Kirkcaldy area. As at April 2015, retail units in these town centres provided 85,000m 2 of floorspace. Kirkcaldy is the largest town centre in Fife with 78,500m 2 floorspace. As at April 2015, 81.4% of this floorspace was occupied – which is below the Fife average retail occupancy rate of 84.4%. Number of Retail Units 384 retail units in the Kirkcaldy area, and an occupancy rate of 83.1% or 319 units. 1,710 retail units across Fife and 85.3% occupancy as at April Figure 6: Retail Floorspace (m2) - April 2015 Source: GOAD Town Centre Development 22 businesses in the Kirkcaldy Committee Area have received grants through the Town Centre Business Support Fund – this is 22% of the total awards made since November The BID Company, Kirkcaldy 4 All, secured another 5 year term after a successful renewal ballot in March % of those voting were in favour, an increase of 10% from the original BID ballot for their initial term in March 2010.

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 7 Tourism The Local Tourist Association (LTAs) were set-up to help develop tourism in the local areas, through the sharing of best practice, local initiatives and shared marketing campaigns. As at October 2015, 59 businesses in the Kirkcaldy area are members of the Kirkcaldy and Mid Fife Local Tourist Association. A funding application has been submitted to support a new tourism initiative - In the Footsteps of Kings (IFK). IFK offers a new visitor experience, through the use of a virtual museum, digital trail guides etc to travel and trace the area’s ancient Royal connections, across the coastal and inland parts of Mid Fife. Energy and Manufacturing Following the announcement in April that Tullis Russell had entered administration, the Scottish Government and Fife Council set up a Taskforce, co-chaired by Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP, and Leader of Fife Council, Cllr David Ross. The Scottish Government have announced £6m to support the work of the Taskforce, which is focused on Glenrothes and Central Fife. An Action Plan has been developed, which has four strands: Support for the Workforce (£1.5m); Supporting Business Growth (£2m); Community Regeneration (£0.25m); and Business Infrastructure and Investment (£2.25m). Key Sectors / Future Opportunities

Economy, Planning & Employability Services 8 Grant Leaburn (Lead Officer- Employability and Skills) or Further Information