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 Added on 16th August 2024  Reading   ,

Reading Named Among The UK’s Best Towns For Job Opportunities

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Reading has been named among the top 10 UK towns and cities for job opportunities, according to new research.

The study, conducted by Reading-based HR software provider Ciphr, compared employment data for 100 of the UK’s most populated towns and cities to determine which locations offer local workers the best potential for job opportunities and good salaries.

The places ranked the highest overall for job opportunities are Winchester, Warrington, St Albans, Chelmsford, and Sevenoaks. Reading came tenth.

Towns and cities were rated (out of 100) across multiple factors, such as average full-time earnings, annual pay growth, the latest employment and unemployment figures, employment rate growth, the number of job listings on Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor (combined) per 10,000 local workers, and business density – or the number of businesses in the area.

Housing costs, as well as life satisfaction and happiness scores, were also considered to reflect the town or city’s affordability and its residents’ general level of wellbeing.

Reading scored consistently well across multiple criteria. The town’s average wages saw a double-digit increase of 11.4% to £36,861 in 2023, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

The town’s employment rate is also high and rising. It increased by 9.5% to 86.1% – making it one of the highest employment rates in the UK (for the year to December 2023, the UK average was 75.7%).

For those job hunting right now, analysis of data from Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor (in July) found that there were 727 job listings in Reading per 10,000 working-age residents (the UK average is around 243 per 10,000).

Reading doesn’t score as competitively for housing affordability though. Rental properties cost £1,150 a month here – accounting for over a third (37%) of full-time pay. While, according to Rightmove, properties sold for £421,837, on average, in the last year – that’s 11.4 times a typical full-time worker’s earnings.

Based on Ciphr’s study, the top 15 UK towns and cities for job opportunities are:

  1. Winchester
  2. Warrington
  3. St Albans
  4. Chelmsford
  5. Sevenoaks
  6. Preston
  7. Cheltenham
  8. Guildford
  9. Aberdeen
  10. Reading
  11. Bedford
  12. Solihull 
  13. Wokingham
  14. Stafford
  15. Stratford-upon-Avon
  16. The full results are available to view and search at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/best-uk-cities-for-job-opportunities-2024.

Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.

by Reading