Glasgow tops wine and spirits trade growth

Glasgow is the fastest growing UK city for workers in the wine and spirits industry according to new data from LinkedIn.

As reported by City A.M. employment levels in the Glasgow wine and spirits trade uncorked double-digit growth of 17% last year according to LinkedIn.

London is the second fastest growing UK city for the drinks trade, enjoying a 16% rise in employment rates in 2015, while Bristol rose by 9% and Edinburgh 4%.

Across the UK, employee numbers in wine and spirits grew by 1.7% last year compared to a 2.6% decrease of employees in the UK restaurant industry.

“This data goes to show there are no half measures when it comes to the UK wine and spirits industry,” said Dan Dackombe, director of LinkedIn Talent Solutions.

“Traditional wine-producing markets like Australia and France saw faster growth, but the UK was comparable to the US and Italy, and outpaced growth in Argentina and Spain.

“The number of gin distilleries in the UK doubled in the past six years, with the UK wine industry growing by the same amount in the last decade, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association,” he added.

The study, which examined over 20,000 people working in the UK drinks industry, found that one in 10 workers had graduated from university in the last three years, with 7% boasting a postgraduate qualification.

Scotland leads the way in higher education in the industry, being home to four of the top five schools generating new graduates in the trade – the University of Strathclyde, the University of Edinburgh, Heriot Watt University and the University of Glasgow.

The study also found drinks trade employees to move jobs more quickly than other industries, with 6% changing roles within the same company in the past year, compared to a UK average of 4%.