Economic performance
Gross added value (GVA) per job filled
£83,662
(2022)
Previously reported at £76,178
(2021)
This update covers quarter 1 (April to June) for 2025 to 2026.
Highlights and challenges
The first quarter of the second year of the economic strategy has seen the continued development of the Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership and progress towards the actions identified in the action plan. The partnership has focussed on 3 priority areas that align with the economic strategy. Three groups have been created to support the priorities:
- Grow, and attract business – innovation and technology
- Procurement to support local growth
- Pride in Bracknell Forest – a community and business friendly place
Berkshire Growth Hub continue to offer business support to start ups, existing businesses and high growth businesses in the borough. We are exploring additional business support opportunities.
The Healthy Workplace Alliance membership continues to increase. The website offers a wide range of resources to support all businesses. It will shortly celebrate the first year of the award scheme in which 6 local businesses participated in. In the next year it is hoped that there will be new businesses joining the award scheme.
Current position
Key measures
Under each of the 4 themes in the Economic Strategy, there is one key metric that shows the current position of Bracknell Forest. These will be kept under review by the council’s economic development team and the Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership. Principal indicators are set out below.
GVA per filled job is a measure of labour productivity that compares the value of goods and services produced to the number of jobs in an area.
GVA helps assess the economic health of different regions or industries. Areas with higher GVA per job filled are generally more economically robust.
Business competitiveness
Companies in Bracknell Forest with a turnover of £1 million to £5 million
7.91%
(Sept 2024)
Previously reported at 7.10% (Sept 2023)
People, work and wellbeing
Percentage of residents in lowest 3 occupational groups
17.9%
(Apr 2024 to Mar 2025)
Previously reported at 16.4% (Jan 2024 to Dec 2024)
Place, climate change, infrastructure and connectivity
Full fibre connectivity
96%
(June 2025)
Previously reported at 95.79% (March 2025)
The quarter 1 report is an update on the base position set in reports for quarter 1 to quarter 4 2024 to 2025. For quarter 1, indicators and performance measures continue to show a broadly positive outlook.
Headline charts
The following charts show the current status of the 24 key metrics under the priority themes identified in the Bracknell Forest Economic Strategy 2024 to 2034.
They provide an overview of the current position versus target using a red, amber or green (RAG) status. They also show the direction of travel of the latest data against previous results.
Performance against target or forecast
The data in these charts shows us that the status of the local economy is reasonably strong and has clear potential to grow.
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: RAG status summary at quarter 1 2025 to 2026.
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: RAG status by theme at quarter 1 2025 to 2026.
Performance trends
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: performance trends summary at quarter 1 2025 to 2026.
Economic Strategy action plan indicators: performance trend by theme at quarter 1 2025 to 2026.
Action plan performance update overview
The information in this document summarises the performance and trend for all 24 metrics in the Economic Strategy action plan.
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Exception commentary
If the current performance status is ‘red,’ it is over 10% off target or forecast, and the data has changed since the quarter 4 report (2024 to 2025). See the commentary below.
People, work and wellbeing
Percentage of working population in lowest 3 occupational groups
Increased 17.9% (April to March 2025), previously reported as 16.4% (January to December 2024) compared to a target of 12%.
The percentage of those of working age in the lowest 3 occupational groups continues to increase. These occupations include:
- sales and customer service
- process plant and machine operatives
- elementary occupations (such as cleaning, basic food preparation)
The chart below shows employment by occupation (%) for Bracknell Forest.
Since the launch of The Bracknell Forest Skills Hub in September 2024, we have been supporting residents to identify and engage with training opportunities to improve employment prospects. To date they have carried out 104 career seeker consultations and engaged with 108 businesses. This project continues for 2025 to 2026 with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Following a consistent quarter-on-quarter increase in the proportion of the working-age population employed in the lowest 3 occupational groups, it is timely to revise the target from 12% to 16.5% for 2025 to 2026. This adjustment reflects the ongoing trend observed locally and aligns with patterns seen in neighbouring local authorities, where similar increases have been recorded. The change keeps our target realistic and reflective of an evidence base.
Employment by occupation April 2024 to March 2025
Employment by occupation April 2024 to March 2025
| Employment type | Bracknell Forest % | Wokingham % | Reading % | Windsor and Maidenhead % | Slough % | West Berkshire % | Berkshire average % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 12.6 | 15.2 | 7.7 | 14.3 | 12.6 | 10.8 | 12.2 |
| Professional occupations | 26.9 | 37.2 | 37.1 | 34.7 | 22.2 | 28.7 | 31.13 |
| Associate professional occupations | 18.6 | 18.1 | 14.1 | 15.4 | 11.7 | 21.3 | 16.53 |
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | 8.6 | 8.7 | 11.3 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 9.47 |
| Skilled trades occupations | 9.6 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 6.67 |
| Caring, leisure and other service occupations | 5.8 | 5 | 9.3 | 5.4 | 8.3 | 5 | 6.47 |
| Sales and customer service occs | 4.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 6 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4.83 |
| Process plant and machine operatives | 5.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 12 | 4.1 | 5.38 |
| Elementary occupations | 7.8 | 3.5 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 6.8 | 7.17 |
| Lowest 3 occupations | 17.9 | 10.2 | 15.2 | 17 | 27.8 | 16.2 | 17.38 |
Additional commentary
There are several performance metrics that remain below target, with some indicators consistently rated red. We are actively addressing these areas, particularly those relating to business competitiveness.
The Berkshire Growth Hub continues to offer a comprehensive triage service to all enquires including start-ups. We are exploring the possibility of additional support targeted at start-ups.
We have compiled a directory of co-working spaces across the borough, offering affordable accommodation options for new enterprises.
The Bracknell Forest Skills Hub continues to play a key role in helping residents upskill, reskill, and improve their employment prospects. The Hub will be represented at the upcoming Bracknell BID Jobs Fair at The Lexicon. It was a highly successful last year.
Spotlight on people, work and wellbeing
Bracknell Forest continues to strengthen its position as a well-connected economic hub.
The borough's strategic location offers several advantages:
- Thames Valley
- proximity to London
- close to Heathrow Airport
- access to major transport corridors like the M3 and M4 motorways
These factors support strong business growth and encourage inward investment.
Recent upgrades to local infrastructure have made a big difference. Improvements at Hanworth roundabout and Golden Retriever junction have sped up journey times from the south to the town center. Better active travel routes are also helping residents and workers connect more easily.
Climate change remains a key priority, with the council advancing its climate change action plan through:
- initiatives focused on energy efficiency
- sustainable transport
- biodiversity
Bracknell Forest has emerged as one of the UK’s best-connected towns, following the completion of a major full fibre rollout by CityFibre.
The council is working with the Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group to make sure that digital connectivity improvements are inclusive and community driven.