Swindon & Wiltshire News
South West companies cut 12,000 jobs in past year
The number of employees in the South West was down by nearly 12,000 in the year to August 2025, according to official data released today (Tuesday).
In figures analysed by employment and pay app WageSight, South West employers shed 11,878 jobs last year, cutting the region’s workforce by 0.5 per cent.
Despite this, wage rises remained strong at seven per cent for people in employment, significantly ahead of inflation.
One of the local authority areas to see the biggest fall in payroll numbers was Swindon, with a decline of 1.1 per cent. Bath and North East Somerset lost 0.8 per cent of jobs over the year.
In Wiltshire employment numbers fell by 0.6 per cent. In Bristol, the jobs total fell by the same amount. In North Somerset, numbers were down by 0.2 per cent, while in South Gloucestershire payroll figures declined by just 0.1 per cent.
WageSight director Paul Hebden said: “The last few months have seen cut backs by employers across the South West, which reflects the picture nationally.
“On the positive side, over the year wages for people in the South West seemed to still be keeping ahead of inflation, which is positive for families still enduring difficulties in terms of the cost of living.”
Designed for recruitment firms, councils, and PR teams, WageSight delivers monthly dashboards, salary benchmarking tools, and ready-to-publish content that helps clients demonstrate authority in their sector and region.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels
