A DOWNTURN in the manufacturing industry has hit Trowbridge hard, but in other sectors business is booming.

While major employers in the town are considering making workers redundant, unemployment has hit a record low of 1.2 per cent in Trowbridge and Warminster.

Mike Williams from the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce said that this mirrors the climate across west Wiltshire and nationally.

"We are concerned and saddened by the loss of jobs in the manufacturing industry over the last couple of years.

"At the same time employers in the retail and service industries have suffered a skills shortage and are always looking for workers."

Avon Rubber announced last week it plans to close its automotive factory in Trowbridge. If the proposal goes ahead it could mean the loss of 273 jobs in the town and a further 12 at the company's Bowerhill site in Melksham.

At Pork Farm Bowyers, another major Trowbridge employer, staff have been told that, due to reorganisation, some could be facing redundancy next year.

However, the company has 40 temporary vacancies at the moment that it has been unable to fill and has resorted to bringing in workers from other towns.

Jacky Calloway of Trowbridge Job- Centre said: "We are handling lots of vacancies at the moment and we would anticipate that anyone looking for work would do so quickly."

For manufacturers, the strength of the pound and the question over whether or not Britain will join the single European currency, has meant they can produce goods far cheaper abroad.

Those made redundant when this happens are finding that there are plenty of jobs available, particularly in the retail and service sectors, but these jobs do not necessarily offer a similar wage.

Workers who have come from the manufacturing sector have often been doing highly skilled jobs but find that these skills are irrelevant in other jobs.

Mr Williams said: "It is likely that many of those made redundant will be able to find work but in many cases it will mean retraining and in some cases it means a lower salary."

He said that although manufacturers have been through tough times over the past few years that there is a mood of cautious optimism for the future.

Trowbridge Mayor Jeff Osborn said that, although employment is not a problem in the town, many skilled workers are going elsewhere for the type of job they want.

"There is a lot of work around but a lot of it is pretty routine. What we need to do is get a range of work so that people who are looking for relatively well-paid work will stay in the town."