British cities and their recruitment strengths

Where should candidates look for the greatest chance of recruitment in a particular sector, and where should recruiters base themselves if they wish to tap into a readily available workforce with the appropriate skills and experience? Analysing the state of the job market in various UK cities serves both parties that may use recruitment firms like Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk).

Aberdeen has a renowned oil and gas industry, making the city a real engineering recruitment hotspot. The Scottish capital city of Edinburgh, meanwhile, with its stunning architecture and artistic bent, attracts many seeking a creative career with organisations like National Museums Scotland - although NHS Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland are also significant employers here.

Edinburgh's great rival, Glasgow - Scotland's largest city - has replaced much of its former might in steel and shipbuilding with thriving financial and retail sectors. Travelling south over the border, another former shipbuilding giant, Newcastle upon Tyne, is now more of an epicentre for service and retail recruitment, with its bustling city centre and the presence of national retailers like Next and Marks & Spencer.

Other leading recruitment cities in the north of England include Leeds, now considered the UK's most important financial centre outside London; as well as 2008 European Capital of Culture, Liverpool, which has unsurprisingly made the most of this accolade and its link with the Beatles to develop a strong tourist sector. 36 miles away, Manchester is now a major legal and financial centre, with its media presence also set to strengthen with the arrival of the BBC at nearby Salford Quays.

Further south, many graduates find jobs in Nottingham, which can count Capital One, Siemens and Speedo among the multinational employers basing their headquarters there. Another extremely desirable place to live and work is Bath, with its strengths in education, health, construction, manufacturing, tourism and leisure, while the 'city of dreaming spires', Oxford, is an excellent place to recruit staff in the long-established printing and publishing industries.

Nor can Britain's other great university city, Cambridge, be overlooked, such are its cutting-edge technological careers that couldn't possibly provide a greater contrast with the city's age-old tradition. Cambridge's cluster of leading electronics, software and biotechnology businesses is known as 'Silicon Fen', and includes the multinationals CSR and ARM.

Wales also offers various opportunities for recruiters and candidates, with Cardiff strong in such fields as media and sport. But for so many companies and jobseekers alike, London remains irresistible, from the frenetic atmosphere of the City to the multicultural idiosyncrasies of the north, south, east and west parts of the capital.

With all 20 of the world's largest financial services organisations and banks having a presence in London, when recruiting staff through a firm like Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk), many companies find that there is no greater source of able, motivated and well-matched candidates - notwithstanding the aforementioned recruitment strengths which are evident across the country.

Editor’s Note: Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.