Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear that has a history of heavy industry.
Situated just three miles south of Newcastle, Gateshead has a population of just under 200,000 people, with more than a third of the workforce split between manufacturing and retail. The average salary is £21,000.
The Metro Shopping Centre, built in 1986, is one of the biggest of its kind in the UK and houses many of the areas biggest employers of staff, such as Debenhams and House of Fraser.
BAE systems are also responsible for employing many local workers having invested £28m in their Birtley plant near Gateshead in 2008. The town is twinned with Komatsu in Japan and a manufacturing company bearing that name is also a major employer in the area. Komatsu, which builds earth-moving machinery and excavators for the construction industry, made Gateshead its first European factory back in 1987.
Gateshead Council are overseeing a massive regeneration project, which includes the overhaul of the town's Trinity Square area, with employment prospects boosted by this. The Local Development plan says total employment in the borough has experienced strong growth in recent years, reflected in recruitment agencies and job adverts, driven by significant increases in the fields of construction and public administration. Current unemployment at around 5.1%, slightly above the national average.
