The UK’s best towns and cities to work in have been named, and there are a couple of genuine surprises on there.
The listing, put together by job search engine and review site Glassdoor, gives UK towns and cities a ranking out of five based on hiring opportunity, cost of living and job satisfaction.
Considerations include the number of job openings, median base salary, job satisfaction rating out of five (based on at least 80 company reviews shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year) and median home value.
This way, the final results are not just about earning potential, and it throws up some unexpected results.
London is nowhere to be seen for example, despite the earning potential, with Glassdoor Chief Economist Dr Andrew Chamberlain explaining “it has proven not only to be an expensive place to live, but also an ultra-competitive city in which to find a job”.
So, if London isn’t there, and one of Europe’s best cities can’t quite crack the top five, which cities have made it? Let’s find out.
25. Peterborough – 3.4
Job Openings: 8,944
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £22,060
Median Home Value: £219,824
24. Hull – 3.5
Job Openings: 2,102
Job Satisfaction: 2.9
Median Base Salary: £22,500
Median Home Value: £134,430
23. Blackpool – 3.5
Job Openings: 2,013
Job Satisfaction: 3.2
Median Base Salary: £18,000
Median Home Value: £118,681
22. Bristol – 3.5
Job Openings: 37,367
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Median Base Salary: £25,598
Median Home Value: £314,274
21. Newcastle Upon Tyne – 3.5
Job Openings: £13,734
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £22,000
Median Home Value: £204,556
20. Dundee – 3.5
Job Openings: 4,992
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £20,000
Median Home Value: £156,016
19. Luton – 3.5
Job Openings: 9,786
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £29,000
Median Home Value: £260,288
18. Aberdeen – 3.5
Job Openings: 4,548
Job Satisfaction: 3.2
Median Base Salary: £32,500
Median Home Value: £223,625
17. Southampton – 3.6
Job Openings: 19,319
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £26,000
Median Home Value: £285,088
16. Belfast – 3.6
Job Openings: 11,775
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Median Home Value: £157,580
15. Ipswich – 3.6
Job Openings: 11,446
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £24,985
Median Home Value: £264,105
14. Birmingham – 3.6
Job Openings: 47,551
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £24,864
Median Home Value: £189,220
13. Nottingham – 3.6
Job Openings: 14,698
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £23,500
Median Home Value: £191,555
12. Derby – 3.6
Job Openings: 12,807
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £25,000
Median Home Value: £196,993
11. Coventry – 3.6
Job Openings: 14,891
Job Satisfaction: 3.2
Median Base Salary: £27,000
Median Home Value: £197,170
10. Oxford – 3.6
Job Openings: 18,649
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £30,000
Median Home Value: £489,037
9. Bolton – 3.7
Job Openings: 11,233
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Median Home Value: £159,690
8. Milton Keynes – 3.7
Job Openings: 16,164
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Median Base Salary: £28,000
Median Home Value: £301,938
7. Leeds – 3.8
Job Openings: 41,097
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £24,000
Median Home Value: £206,143
6. Reading – 3.8
Job Openings: 25,305
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £35,000
Median Home Value: £422,120
5. Stoke-on-Trent – 3.9
Job Openings: 16,381
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Median Home Value: £143,328
One of the cheapest cities on this list when it comes to house prices, Stoke-on-Trent is well-connected with Manchester and Birmingham both less than an hour away by train. The city is one of 11 to have lodged a bid to be named 2021’s UK City of Culture.
4. Swindon – 3.9
Job Openings: 15,307
Job Satisfaction: 3.4
Median Base Salary: £31,000
Median Home Value: £248,514
Less than an hour away from Reading and Bristol, and about an hour’s train ride from London, Swindon is brilliantly connected. Relatively high wages and low unemployment also work in its favour.
3. Cambridge – 4.0
Job Openings: 21,645
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Median Base Salary: £31,225
Median Home Value: £455,299
Commuting distance from London and home to a number of growing tech businesses, Cambridge holds firm in the top three. With a strong pool of university graduates to choose from, it’s no big surprise that jobs are widespread and lead to greater satisfaction than in many other cities and towns on the list.
2. Manchester – 4.0
Job Openings: 41,555
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Median Base Salary: £23,998
Median Home Value: £177,263
Remarkably affordable and with plenty of companies setting up shop, Manchester is the highest-ranked of the UK’s major cities. Nationwide, only London has a faster-growing economy, while Birmingham is the only city in the top 25 with more job openings.
1. Slough – 4.2
Job Openings: 26,387
Job Satisfaction: 3.3
Median Base Salary: £35,000
Median Home Value: £390,654
A surprise number one, for sure, but don’t let David Brent cloud your judgement. Unemployment is low, at just 1.4%, and the average wage is high by UK standards, while it is within commuting distance of London and easily accessible via Heathrow Airport and several motorways.
(Images: BBC/iStock)
