The UK job market is flourishing. Despite the threat of Brexit, the salaries for new jobs increased by 3.1% in March 2019 and job vacancies were up by 3.2% year-on-year. As such, the UK is filled with fantastic working opportunities for all kinds of professionals. The majority of these opportunities are based in the UK’s four biggest cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow.
These four main cities each have their own specialised industries. London’s biggest economic centre is the tertiary sector – which includes financial and professional services. Alongside this, London also has a booming creative and technology sector while Birmingham has significant manufacturing and engineering industries. Manchester is the second-fastest growing economy in the UK and its creative, knowledge, and manufacturing industries are thriving. Glasgow is Scotland’s largest urban economy and is one of Europe’s top twenty financial centres.
These four mega cities are large in area and densely populated. Due to this, starting to work in one of these locations may seem overwhelming. Thankfully there are teams available that have the experience and knowledge to help simplify this process, as well as many online resources that can provide helpful insights. Before you make the move, there are four things worth considering:
1: LOCATION
An important thing to consider when working in a city is where you will be working. The UK’s major cities are all divided up into various sectors. So for example, if you are in the design industry and want to work in London you should also rent an apartment in London, Camden or Islington would be good areas to consider.
As well as the area, the type of working space is also a crucial consideration. Cities offer a variety of office options and co-working spaces. These options are often dependent on the type of district they are located in. For example, London’s serviced offices are highly popular in the business districts: the City and Canary Wharf. Outside of London, flexible office spaces in Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow, serve to facilitate a wide range of businesses from all industries.
2: GETTING AROUND
The UK’s major cities all have efficient and reliable public transportation. This makes getting to work easier and cheaper. Owning a map or map app is essential, as well as the city’s public transport schedule.
The great public transport links in big UK cities allows for the possibility of commuting. This is a lifestyle choice many people working in the city take advantage of. When using public transportation for work purposes it is important to consider the time, costs, and reliability involved.
A great tip for living and working in a city is to combine exercise with transportation. Walking and cycling around UK cities is safe, stress-free, and convenient – and obviously also cuts down on expenses.
If your work involves a lot of air travel, living in a city is massively convenient. The UK has 40 commercial airports so when working in one of the UK’s large cities it is important to consider the local airport’s location and accessibility.
3: SALARY VS EXPENSES
Compared to the average national salary, cities generally do pay more. Big cities have higher resources than smaller towns and have more people visiting them. This means their local economy is very strong which contributes to the higher pay bracket.
That being said, living in a city is not cheap. Everything is generally more expensive, including rent and transportation. In Manchester, people on average spend 18.84% of their wages on rent. Due to the high demand in cities, regular items also cost more. The higher cost of living and the constant temptation to spend money is something that should be considered when working in a city and/or employing a workforce.
4: NETWORKS
In a city, there are so many businesses in one place it is easy to form professional relationships. It is important to always be open to meeting new people and cultivate relationships when out and about in the city.
Working in a city makes networking a lot easier than in smaller towns. There are many networking events, professional organisations, and developmental centres in cities. These are valuable resources that should definitely form a part of your working life in the city.
5: DIVERSITY
Within big cities, there are large amounts and extensive diversity in the services that are available. This provides greater opportunity for acquiring jobs specific to your skillset or finding the right assistance for your business.
Cities are culturally diverse. From a working perspective, this means niche markets are more likely to exist and be in higher demand. The larger population density allows businesses to find more customers within a certain segment. Cities, therefore, make acquiring niche goods and services easy – as well as make it a fun and interesting place to live!
