Employee costs in Tyne and Wear are highly competitive and a major overhead benefit for investors considering relocation to the region.

Traditionally Tyne and Wear has had a large manual labour pool. Many have adapted over recent years and equipped themselves with major skill sets.

Average gross weekly earnings by occupational groups (£)

	Tyne & Wear Men	Tyne & Wear Women	North East Men	North East Women	United Kingdom Men	United Kingdom Women
Managers and Senior Officials	749.7	541.9	760.5	597.7	892.6	597.7
Professional Occupations	666.0	568.7	672.8	576.7	745.9	576.7
Associate Professional and Technical	508.8	388.8	513.0	433.6	590.6	433.6
Administrative and Secretarial	345.8	279.3	334.8	293.8	382.6	293.8
Skilled Trades	449.7	227.5	448.0	258.8	458.6	258.8
Personal Service	290.1	249.1	274.0	225.1	304.7	225.1
Sales and Customer Service	237.3	196.3	236.9	178.8	237.7	178.8
Process Plant and Machine Operatives	378.5	268.0	408.5	274.7	425.2	274.7
Elementary Occupations	302.1	136.2	294.2	152.1	298.7	152.1

Source: 2007 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings