Growth Sectors

  • Of the 26,000 registered businesses in the Borders Railway area, around half are in Scotland’s growth sectors of food and drink, creative industries, tourism, energy, financial and business services, and life sciences. These companies generate £5.1bn added value (2015).
  • Although not one of the Scottish Government’s priority growth sectors, the Scottish Borders in particular has outstanding strengths and opportunities in textiles.
  • 98 per cent of businesses in the area are small and micro businesses employing fewer than 50 people
  • The tourism sector not only supports 6,000 jobs in the region, it helps to put the area and Scotland on the world stage. In 2015 approximately 3.7 million people visited the Scottish Borders, Midlothian and Edinburgh, spending £1.6 billion

 

In figures: catchment growth sectors

Number of companies per sector in 2016 (2014 GVA figures).

Life Sciences: 135 excluding SB (£216.3m excluding SB), 3,450 jobs

Edinburgh - 105 (£165.1m), 2,000 jobs

Midlothian - 30 (£51.2m), 1,250 jobs

Scottish Borders - n/a (n/a), 200 jobs

Financial & Business Services: 5,630(£1,530.1m), 66,000 jobs

Edinburgh - 4,675 (£1,393.1m), 62,000 jobs 

Midlothian - 375 (£57.6m), 1,500 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 580 (£79.4m), 2,500 jobs

Energy: 370 (£769.8m), 4,725 jobs (exc. SB)

Edinburgh - 275 (£668.3m), 4,000 jobs  

Midlothian - 40 (£9.5m), 225 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 55 (£92.0m), 500 jobs

 

Food and Drink: 1,505 (£132.7m), 8,300 jobs

Edinburgh - 215 (£92.4m), 2,300 jobs

Midlothian - 120 (£7.9m), 700 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 1,170 (£32.4m), 5,300 jobs

Creative industries: 3,890 (£1,456.5m), 19,050 jobs 

Edinburgh - 3,320 (£1,289.3m), 16,085 jobs 

Midlothian - 250 (£46.6m), 1,770 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 320 (£120.6m), 1,195 jobs

Tourism: 2,400 (£1,005.3m), 39,000 jobs

Edinburgh - 1,825 (£915.2m), 33,000 jobs 

Midlothian - 185 (£35.5m), 2,000 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 395 (£54.6m), 4,000 jobs

Tourism: 2,360 (£656.5m), 40,500 jobs

Edinburgh - 1,780 (£580.2m), 34,600 jobs 

Midlothian - 175 (£30.6m), 1,900 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 405 (£45.7m), 4,000 jobs

 

Energy: 355 (£618.3m), 4,000 jobs (exc. SB)

Edinburgh - 275 (£540.7m), 3,800 jobs  

Midlothian - 30 (£8.2m), 200 jobs 

Scottish Borders - 50(£69.4m), n/a