The Orkney economy

The Orkney economy has had a traditional reliance on agriculture and fishing. However, over the last 20 years there has been a growth in employment in a number of economic sectors including manufacturing, tourism, food processing, and more recently, renewable energy. Key sources of employment in Orkney include:

• agriculture - based on livestock farming (primarily beef cattle);
• public sector services;
• tourism;
• fishing and aquaculture (eg salmon farming);
• food and drink manufacturing (including the Highland Park and Scapa distilleries, Orkney Meat, and a range of fish processing businesses such as the Orkney Food Company (formerly Orkney Herring) and Orkney Fishermen's Society);
• jewellery making (including Ortak and Sheila Fleet - Orkney has the second most significant cluster of jewellery businesses in the UK [Birmingham has the highest concentration of such businesses] );
• other crafts production (eg textiles);
• oil transportation (through the Flotta oil terminal);
• construction.

Of course, continuing advances in telecommunications technology mean that Orkney's distance from the mainland of Scotland is no longer a disadvantage. As many business transactions are now conducted by phone or online, perceived geographical barriers have virtually disappeared, making Orkney a realistic and viable business location. Already local businesses are taking full advantage of markets on both a national and international scale and it is not unusual for people to work for international companies from the comfort of their island homes.