Dover has faced a range of economic challenges over recent years which has resulted in a trend of gradual employment decline, particularly during the first ten years of the Core Strategy period (2006 - 2016). As a result the overall job growth target in the Core Strategy of 6,500 jobs by 2026 is yet to be reached. These changes are summarised in the Table below:
Use
|
2006
|
2016
|
Total Change
|
% Change
|
Total Workforce Jobs
|
45,700
|
41,000
|
-4,700
|
-10%
|
B Class Jobs
|
15,300
|
12,200
|
-3,100
|
-20%
|
Office Jobs (B1a/B1b)
|
5,800
|
4,700
|
-1,100
|
-19%
|
Industrial Jobs (B1C/B2/B8)
|
9,400
|
7,400
|
-2,000
|
-21%
|
The District has however performed better over recent periods in terms of a number of other key economic issues identified in the Core Strategy, mainly relating to increasing the overall scale of the local business base, rebalancing the previously polarised resident occupation profile, and improving resident skills. Despite this, Dover does still lag behind regional benchmarks across a number of these indicators, including qualification attainment levels and has the second smallest stock of workforce jobs in Kent.
In 2018 the District provided 42,000 jobs, which is an increase of 1,000 jobs from 2016. This equates to a job density of 0.64 (the ratio of jobs to the working population aged 16 – 64), which is well below that for the South East and Great Britain as a whole (Nomis), meaning that there are significantly less jobs than workers living in the District. This highlights the need to improve the attractiveness of the District as a place to locate business.
The District has a relatively self contained labour market with the latest Census data indicating a labour self-containment rate of 66.7%, but there continue to be strong commuting flows to and from the adjoining areas of Folkestone and Hythe, Canterbury and Thanet.
Dover's employment floorspace is dominated by industrial uses, which benefit from the presence of the A2 and links with the strategic road network. The largest clusters of employment floorspace can be found in and around Dover town and Sandwich. Elsewhere, smaller clusters of employment floorspace are located in and around the settlements of Deal, Aylesham and Eythorne, as well as within the more rural areas of the District. However many of the existing industrial estates do not provide high quality modern employment space.
Dover has a weak office market, and is constrained by the lack of availability of high quality office space. Dover town and Discovery Park in Sandwich represent the only recognised office centres or notable concentrations of office stock.
The viability of new employment development has been a particular challenge in the District over recent years and this remains the case today. This has impacted on the delivery of a number of existing allocated employment sites, and a significant amount of the employment land allocated in the Core Strategy remains undeveloped. Furthermore, some allocated employment sites have now been lost to other uses, or would appear to have very limited prospects of coming forward for employment development. Given this, there is a need to have an employment strategy for the District to prevent the further erosion of existing employment allocations to other non employment uses.
Since the contraction of Pfizer in 2011, Discovery Park has evolved into a successful and diversified business location with employment returning to levels similar to those when Pfizer occupied the site. Planning permission has been granted for the re-development of large parts of the site to deliver mixed use development including employment. This presents an opportunity to enhance the commercial offer in the District and provide new jobs and skills. The site provides particular opportunities in the life sciences sectors, with high quality laboratory, office and manufacturing facilities.
Dover also benefits from an international port which offers significant potential to deliver job growth and connections to Europe. The Port of Dover is a major infrastructure asset and potential catalyst for growth.