Number of employees in Shetland
Trends and Analysis
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of employees in Shetland | 13,600 | 13,700 | 13,400 | 13,100 | 13,800 | 14,200 | 13,400 | 13,600 |
The above graph and table shows that the number of employees in Shetland has fluctuated since 2016. This rose to a high of 14,200 in 2021, however, decreased to 13,400 in 2022, increasing again to 13,600 in 2023, the same level as 2018.
There has been an increase of 200 employees between 2022 and 2023. This is a decrease from 2021. It is difficult to know the reasons for the decrease, but, it is possible that the number of employees could be stabilising following the impacts of COVID-19 and large scale construction projects in Shetland. This indicator is impacted by small sample sizes, and figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
While those are the figures for 2023, the NOMIS Labour Market Profile for Shetland shows that 85.9% of people were economically active between January 2024 and December 2024.
Last updated: April 2025