Due to easy access to the A19, one of the North East’s main trunk roads, Spectrum enjoys a large 30 minute recruitment catchment relative to the size of the immediate town.

A general lack of congestion across the North East region also creates a very large scale 60 minute catchment area that stretches from Teesside, through Sunderland, Durham and includes the whole of Newcastle.

Both 30 and 60 minute catchments have experienced a healthy growth in their working age population since 1991 with a forecast net growth by 2015 that will far exceed regional and national average levels. This will provide an element of stability for employers looking to recruit through a longer term cycle.

A high proportion of the employed workforce, particularly within the smaller catchment, are under 34 years of age when compared to regional and national levels. 

By occupation, sales and customer service positions are prevalent within the 30 minute catchment but are mainly located on the very fringe of the catchment. As a result, a large proportion of Seaham’s working residents out-commute to other areas for work with Durham and Sunderland being the major destinations for service sector employment.

Limited recruitment competition in the local area and the diversity of non-competing employer types around Spectrum offer an employment location where residents can be readily attracted to work closer to home.

A high proportion of residents within the wider catchment hold NVQ at the higher levels 3 and 4 compared to the North East region. Moreover, 70,500 of these individuals are currently not working, indicating an extremely important, skilled target group for recruitment.

Spectrum’s catchment reports GCSE and A Level scores that significantly outperform regional average with A Level scores in the 30 minute area standing above the national average performance. 

Five Universities can be found within Spectrum’s catchments, providing a total pool of 76,400 students. Some 14,580 First Degree students graduate annually from these institutions and an additional 5,000 people obtain a postgraduate qualification. Strengths in areas of study include Modern Languages, IT and Computer Sciences and Law, all of which significantly outperform national average in terms of the numbers of students graduating.

Salary costs within the 30 minute catchment are highly competitive when compared both regionally and nationally, with savings of up to 10% on national levels available for semi-qualified professionals and business and financial administrative staff. Customer service staff and public sector semi-qualified professionals typically attract salaries 8% lower than national average. Professional staff costs are close to 16% lower than those on a national level.