• Economy
  The Dorset area boasts a strong economy which is dominated by the conurbation of Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Ferndown and Wimborne located in the south east of the county.  Outside of this conurbation there is a network of towns that are principally focused on tourism, creative and agricultural based industries.

> Demographics
The overall population of the Dorset sub-region is approximately 700,000.  Within this area the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole have populations of 165,000 and 138,000 respectively.  However, the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation also extends into Christchurch, Ferndown and Wimborne, and together it has a population that exceeds 400,000.

> Labour force
The economic activity rate indicates the proportion of the working age population that are participating in the local labour market by either being in employment or seeking employment.  Latest economic activity rates for the area are healthy at 79.2% and are above the national average of 78.1%.

> Skills and qualifications
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are used as the standard national categorisation of qualifications and are a good way of assessing skills levels within an area.  The data below indicates that skills levels in the Dorset sub-region are consistently above national averages and also that the proportion of the working age population without any qualifications is well below the average level.

> Sectors
The ICT, financial services and business support sectors are important in developing a more competitive local economy as they tend to be made up of relatively higher value adding companies.  These sectors have all experienced significant growth in the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation during the last decade.