GMCA teams up with LinkedIn to tackle skills gap

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has joined forces with social giant LinkedIn, publishing a new report in a bid to understand and strengthen the county’s workforce.

The Greater Creators report, which marks the first time a local government has used data from LinkedIn to inform digital training and skills provision, highlighted a migration of skilled workers coming to Greater Manchester from London.

The data showed that 24k LinkedIn members moved to the area in the 12 months to August 2015, with digital marketing, user interface design and TV/video production being the top three skill sets.

LinkedIn figures further showed that game development, writing and publishing and social media marketing were among the top skill sets coming into Greater Manchester, while camera operation was the best skill for securing a job.

Tony Lloyd, the Interim Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester is delighted to work with LinkedIn to explore how we use their expertise and knowledge to help us improve our skills offer and boost the city-region’s economy.

“As the first European region to establish this kind of partnership Greater Manchester is outlining its ambition to lead the UK in skills provision.”

He added: “We are also establishing ourselves as a leading and innovative global city in the use of data to shape policy and improve lives.”

Greater Creators is the first product of the #ProjectManchester campaign, a joint effort between LinkedIn and the authority to help GMCA understand and plan for potential skills gaps as its prepares to see 110k new jobs created between now and 2025.

LinkedIn UK’s country manager, Josh Graff, commented: “Our goal is to create economic opportunity for everyone in the global workforce.

“With almost 60% of the UK workforce on LinkedIn, we have a wealth of data and can provide policymakers with unique insights into the labour market, enabling them to shape policy, foster skills development, and create opportunity in Manchester and elsewhere across Britain.”

When compiling the data, LinkedIn examined the profile information of its 614k members based in the Greater Manchester area, focusing on factors such as hiring, education, migration and skills.

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