A new study by Glassdoor revealed which cities in the UK ranked the best for hiring opportunities, cost of living, and overall satisfaction. Thanks to its growing tech sector, Cambridge, home to the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, came in first.
Cambridge was chosen for many reasons. It’s home to more than 4,300 knowledge-based companies, which employ more than 58,000 people. Many of the region’s employees have a college degree and can expect to make an average of 35,000 pounds a year. For that reason, Cambridge has become one of the top cities for software engineers according to the Independent. Even more enticing, Cambridge’s average job satisfaction earned a 3.5 out of 5.
“Cambridge has long had a reputation for one of Britain’s most loved cities, but now it’s emerged as a prime spot for high-tech companies which is clearly having an impact on where people decide to live and work,” Dr. Andrew Chamberlain told the Independent.
Best UK Cities to Work
Milton Keynes and Nottingham followed Cambridge on the list of best cities to work in the U.K. The average salary in Milton Keynes is 36,000 pounds a year while in Nottingham workers can expect to earn 27,814 pounds. In both cities, job satisfaction was still above three out of five, and top positions included store managers, management consultants, business analysts, and software engineers.
Surprisingly, London did not make it onto the top 20 list. While London has a plethora of jobs and its employees are satisfied, the cost of living and competitiveness of the market kept it from reaching a top spot.
“These results are a reminder that although there are more jobs in London and employees are generally pretty satisfied, it is a competitive place to work and an expensive place to live,” Chamberlain said.
Overall, each city on the list was chosen not just for job quantity and employee satisfaction, but also for cost of living and quality of life.