CREATING affordable city centre space for growing business will help to encourage “much needed” high value jobs in York, according to a new report.

A task group, set up by City of York Council to find ways of attracting graduates and entrepreneurs to set up businesses in the city, also recommends promoting clearly signposted business advice and networking opportunities.

The group’s findings, due to be discussed during a scrutiny review on Friday, come off the back of interviews with existing business owners and research into support currently available for young businesses.

The Task Group was set up by the Economic and City Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee (ECDOSC) following a decline in manufacturing employment in the city, which has resulted in high employment in low productive areas, and low employment in high value areas.

The Task Group’s report identifies that the percentage of full time employees in York has fallen to 65.9 per cent while part time employee numbers have risen to 33.6 per cent.

The report states: “In regard to the steady supply of higher education, graduates from York’s colleges and universities, the Task Group were mindful of the lack of a critical mass of graduate jobs in the city.

“They noted that anecdotal evidence suggested that many who remain in the city after graduation take part-time or lower value jobs, which has a knock on effect on York’s labour market.”

Welcoming news of a new food science campus at Sand Hutton, which will create 800 skilled and technical jobs, as well as plans for a biotechnology innovation cluster in York called Biovale, and a new £1.6 million Agri-tech training centre at Askham Bryan College, The Task Group recognised start up business accommodation provided by both the University of York and York St John, but noted a lack of affordable growth space.

Cllr Anna Semlyen, chairman of the ECDOSC, who also sat on the Higher Value Jobs Task Group, said: “York has very low unemployment so it’s not that people don’t have jobs, it’s that we wanted to find out how to raise the average level of wages by looking at sectors of the economy that can provide jobs and higher wages.

“We could either look at bringing in new organisations or we could help the home grown businesses that are starting up and boost entrepreneurialism.

“We thought it would be better to look at encouraging entrepreneurialism in York rather than outside businesses.

“Clearly the public sector isn’t going to provide any more jobs. This growth has to come from the private sector. We wanted to see what the council could do to help new businesses and sustain profits for those businesses.”