Local economic assessment

Gateshead has an opportunity to play a key role in the region's economic growth.

Gateshead can be a place where more people want to live, visit and work in good jobs with its mix if high-density riverside living and business, distinct village centres, abundant green space and nature, industrial clusters and ambitious town centre development plans.

Since 2015 Gateshead's economy has shown gradual, but uneven, improvement with positive trends in business growth, productivity and sectoral development, set against a backdrop of persistent structural challenges. However, Gateshead continues to experience lower-than-average productivity levels, high economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, and a skills profile skewed towards technician-level roles and low higher-level qualifications.

View the Gateshead local economic assessment 2025 (PDF, 3 MB)