subject: The Outlook For Jobs In Dorset [print this page] The recession has exacted a greater-than-average toll from Dorset's economy, aggravating problems that originate in the region's transition from long-standing traditions to the demands of the post-modern age.
For centuries, agriculture and manufacturing have sustained Dorset's economic growth, providing well-paying jobs for the area's highly skilled, exceptionally motivated workforce. In agriculture, sophisticated new planting and harvesting machines do four-times as much work as similar machines only ten years old, and many farming jobs no longer exist.
Similarly, advanced robotics and computer controls have eliminated many old-fashioned assembly line jobs; and many large corporations have 'out-sourced' their operations to China and India, where labour and machinery cost less, and where governments do not strictly enforce health and safety regulations.
Government officials are currently engaged in a comprehensive economic assessment, examining every detail of the region's economy with a particularly keen eye for jobs in Dorset. When they complete their assessment, they will go on to create an economic plan for the county, paying attention to attracting new industries and promoting job-creation.
Creating new jobs
Expansion of business and professional services have created hundreds of new Dorset jobs, and other service industries also have contributed to job growth across the county. These new jobs, however, do not pay as well as the old-industrial jobs they replaced. Many of the county's skilled trades-people and experienced managers currently are under-employed.
Dorset stands right at the brink of a post-modern industrial revolution, and the region can lead the United Kingdom in job-creation and economic growth. In the next year, 'green' energy production will create between 1500 and 2500 new jobs, putting many of the region's carpenters, iron-workers, and electricians back to work. In the next five years, county officials will seize the initiative to bring light, clean, 'green' manufacturing to Dorset, creating jobs for well-educated, experienced engineers, technicians, and 'IT' professionals.
'Green' jobs
Because Eneco's history-making windfarm project will make Dorset one of Europe's wind energy capitals, officials feel hopeful that other 'green' energy companies will set-up shop in Dorset. Two of the region's distinctive features contribute to its 'green' potential: First, because agriculture still accounts for nearly a third of Dorset's gross domestic product, and because Dorset farmers have yet to recycle the majority of their agricultural wastes, bio-fuels producers see opportunities for converting compost to clean fuels.
Second, the area's coastline, rich in algae, has potential to become a second prime producer of bio-fuels. One analyst estimates that aggressive development of the region's bio-fuels potential could create as many as a thousand new jobs.
Tourism jobs
Other visionaries advocate reinvigorating the region's sagging tourist industry. Dorset's hundreds of miles of pristine coastline and its well-developed transportation links lay the groundwork for twenty-first century eco-tourism. Several investment consortia are studying the feasibility of restoring and renovating some of the area's historic properties, creating Earth-friendly resorts specifically designed for family travel.
Unlike other seaside communities that have encouraged tourism with construction of amusement parks and lavish mega-hotels, Dorset has potential to preserve its coastline and encourage tourism with promotion of exploring the wonders of Nature and British history. Resurgent tourism has potential to create up to a thousand new jobs in Dorset.
