The life sciences sector is the biggest employer of people living and working the north-west of England, new research has discovered.
According to the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) survey of the fastest-growing employers, companies in the industry employ 455,600 people from the region, accounting for 13.4 per cent of jobs.
Looking at regional cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Preston, the Changing Professions poll revealed the top ten fastest-growing sectors in the north-west.
Although life sciences may employ the most people, it is only the third fastest-growing industry in the area, with financial and professional services topping the list and education coming in second place.
In fact, over the past ten years, the number of employees in the north-west's finance and professional services industry has risen from 315,200 to 428,800.
Professor John Brooks, the vice chancellor of MMU, remarked that due to the changing environment of the north-west's employment sector "many universities have positioned themselves as business facing and have prioritised higher skills training".
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