In Focus: Big regional disparities mar UK optical jobs market

Large pockets of the optical jobs market continue to face difficulties as major UK cities grow in popularity for those seeking work.

New data collected by Prospect Health reinforces previous studies that show an imbalance of healthcare professionals across England, but better supply in the devolved nations.

Among the findings were that 39% of all GOC-registered staff are located in London, the South East and North West, while London alone accounts for 16.42%.

Mike Bowen, director of research for the College of Optometrists, told Optician that a number of the statistics provided by the Prospect Health survey correlate with the information published in its own Optical Workforce Survey (OWS) earlier this year.