Job market information
Finding out about textiles
The textiles industry is part of the fashion and textiles sector, which is represented by Creative Skillset, which also includes: apparel; textiles; and footwear and leather; advertising; animation; computer games; facilities; film; interactive media; photo imaging; publishing; radio; and television. The fashion and textiles sector as a whole employs an estimated 340,000 people across 79,000 enterprises, which are predominately small and medium sized employers. The sector contributes around £10 billion to the UK economy each year, but due to the current economic downturn, product exports have fallen. However, employment in the sector has remained relatively stable level.
The apparel industry includes the: processing of yarns and fibres; dyeing and finishing of yarns, threads and fabrics; manufacture of textile articles, such as soft furnishings; production of carpets; and the production and development of new textiles and fibres, including technical textiles. Recent manufacturing output of the industry has declined, but productivity has risen where it has remained virtually static across the wider manufacturing sector. A few businesses in the fashion and textiles sector as a whole have made redundancies or reduced staff hours, as a result of the current economic climate. Technical markets and overseas businesses have also been hard hit.
Key facts:
- The industry contributes around £4.1 billion to the UK economy each year.
- Around 105,000 people are employed in the industry.
- There are around 26,000 businesses, of which around 20,000 are sole traders.
- The businesses in this sector tend to be small or medium‐sized, employing 250 people or fewer.
Jobs in the industry range from:
- Process operatives – beamer; blender; carder; textile colour technologist
- Technician staff – loom tuner/technician; tufting tuner/technician
- Technical staff – textile technologist
- Design staff – carpet designer; textile designer
- Production staff – production manager/director; technical manager/director
Entry and progression
There are not usually any formal entry requirements for lower‐level jobs in this industry. Employers look for candidates who are good with their hands, reliable and willing to learn. Many jobs will provide training in the workplace, sometimes alongside formal vocational qualifications like NVQs.
The fashion and textiles sector has a track record of recruiting adults who are looking for career change. Many skills needed in the industry are transferable. Those who have previously worked in a wholesale environment or management position may be able to transfer more easily. Those in professional and management positions can move into similar posts in other areas or sectors.
Progression is usually possible with the appropriate levels of experience or by obtaining relevant qualifications. A typical apparel progression route could be from:
Dye House Operative ‐> Textile Technician ‐> Technical Manager
There are a range of industry endorsed courses (both at undergraduate and post‐graduate) and foundation degrees, apprenticeships and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
around 105,000 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
26,000 of which 20,000 are sole traders |
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| Gender: |
57% male |
43% female |
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| The fashion and textile sector as a whole has an ageing workforce, with 32% of those employed aged 50 years or over, compared with 26% in the wider economy. The fashion and textiles sector as a whole is a major source of employment for people from ethnic minority groups. |
Employment trends and future prospects
Recent forecasts suggest a decline in the UK textiles manufacturing sector of around 29% between 2006 and 2014. However, it is estimated that the sector will need to recruit 25,000 people over the same period to replace those leaving, mainly through retirement.
Skill requirements and shortages
A decline in the number of people employed in production activities is expected, as more manufacturing moves overseas. The area of technical textiles is newly developing so specialist workers in this area are in demand. Employers have reported the following skills gaps:
- production and processing skilled trades
- management, supervisory and ICT skills
- textile and fabric technology
- knowledge of fabric development and design
The number of vacancies in the manufacturing side of the industry has declined since 2008.
Occupational trends
Within the industry, there is a shortage of workers to fill roles at operative level. There is also a shortage of skilled applicants for technician posts. Employers are also looking to increase the level of multi‐skilling within the sector.
Newly‐emerging jobs are most likely to be found in the technical textiles sector.
The majority of UK companies report difficulties in recruiting people with the right skills for jobs in textile and fabric technology, and design. Textile processing recruits were a particular concern in the North West, South East, and Yorkshire and the Humber. Companies in the West Midlands reported that they would not have difficulty recruiting people with the right skills.
National and regional data
The greatest concentrations of textile activity are in West Yorkshire (Kirklees and Bradford) and Lancashire (Rochdale and Manchester). Across all regions it is estimated that there will be a substantial decline in the total level of employment in textile manufacturing to 2017.
East Midlands – There are over 9,000 people employed in the region. Leicester City has the largest industry workforce, followed by Amber Valley (Derbyshire) and Derby.
East of England – There are more than 4,000 people employed within the industry in the region, who are mainly located in Babergh in South Suffolk, Luton and South Cambridgeshire.
London – London employs around 10,000 people in the industry. Westminster has the largest number of people employed in textiles, with the bulk of the remainder split pretty evenly between Brent, Hackney, Wandsworth and Kensington.
North East – There are over 2,000 people employed within the industry in the region, which represents a small proportion of the total UK employment in this sector. County Durham has the largest number of people employed, followed by Darlington.
North West – There are almost 20,000 people employed within the industry in the region. Tameside has the largest share, followed by Manchester, Rochdale Bury and Blackburn.
South East – There are over 9,000 people employed within the industry in the region, which is evenly distributed around the districts of Aylesbury Vale, Wealdon (East Sussex), Windsor and Maidenhead, Test valley (Hants) and Brighton.
South West – There are around 4,000 people employed within the industry, who are mainly working in Mid Devon and East Devon.
West Midlands – There are over 6,000 people employed within the industry. Wyre Forest has the largest number of people employed in textiles.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are over 13,000 people employed within the industry, making it one of the largest regions for textiles in the UK. Kirklees and Bradford have the largest number of people employed in the textiles industry.
[N.B. Data derived from Annual Business Inquiry, 2007.]
Salary levels
Some suggested salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- Entry Level Worker, such as a Beamer ‐ £10,000 to £15,000
- Multi‐Skilled Worker, such a Textile Technologist ‐ £20,000
- Experienced/Management Workers, such as a Production Manager ‐ £35,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using Skillfast UK AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
