Bradford's Top Ten turnover firms are among a number in new industry sectors all set to create jobs next year as the traditional industries shed workers. Business Editor Paul Parker reports

Bradford's growing hi-tech firms are seen as the key to the district's prosperity as we approach the new century.

Last year they added a great deal to the local economy and created hundreds of jobs, which is expected to continue into 1999 and beyond.

Bradford's Top Ten companies show the city has a large proportion of multi-million pound and world-beating firms.

Since the last census in 1991, there has been an 89 per cent increase in jobs in computer and related industries from 533 to 1,008. Firms such as ISA International, Spectrum, CCL, Legend and Raven have all grown recently. The electronics industry has also seen a rise in employment including firms like Filtronic Comtek and Pace Micro Technology.

Other sectors such as the paper product industry and food and drink manufacturers have also done well in the past few years and are also expected to be job creators next year.

Traditional manufacturing industries - such as textiles - have declined making way for new firms bringing bigger opportunities.

One of the biggest success stories in the district has been the rise of call centres which make the most of new technology and have created some 4,000 jobs in the last few years. Firms which have taken on extra staff are Abbey National, Yorkshire Electricity, Bradford & Bingley, Grattan, Provident Financial and NatWest.

The second biggest leap in employment was in paper products which includes firms such as Britannia Products, Unique Images and J Stell & Sons. Some 850 jobs were created in this sector in the same period. The food and drink industry's jobs level grew by 59 per cent with 1,500 posts being created at places like Princes soft drinks and Kashmir Crown Bakeries which have expansion plans for the next few years.

Paul Armstrong, Bradford's Employment Service chief, said today: "Bradford needs to create 700 jobs a year to meet its employment needs and these new businesses are helping that to happen - along with job creation schemes such as New Deal."

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