24/01/2019

Population and Demographic Projections for Lochaber

There are a number of major development projects currently underway in Lochaber across housing, infrastructure and industry. This includes the GFG Alliance (Liberty) purchase of the Lochaber aluminium smelter and proposed development of an alloy wheel factory. These developments will have a significant impact on the area’s population, the demographic make-up of the community and the range and type of jobs available – the alloy wheel factory alone is expected to create up to 400 jobs.

In June 2018, HIE, on behalf of the Lochaber Delivery Group, commissioned ekosgen and Context Economics to undertake a detailed socio-economic profiling of Lochaber and generate population projections for the period to 2041 that are cognisant of planned developments.  The study also aimed to assess the potential impact on the labour market and wage levels and explore the broader implications for service provision in the Lochaber area. 

The report and executive summary can be downloaded below.