Jobs in Canterbury | Pictures of Canterbury

Canterbury is one of the largest economies in Kent with almost 4,800 registered businesses collectively contributing around £1.4bn to the regional economy, and employing a workforce of over 50,000 people. Unemployment in the city has dropped significantly since the opening of the Whitefriars shopping complex in 2001 which created thousands of new jobs in the area.

Then and now
Throughout the Middle Ages and through to the 1800s, Canterbury was the most important centre of pilgrimage in northern Europe, attracting thousands of Christians to the city to pay homage to the martyrdom of Thomas Becket – slain by Henry II for encouraging the people to consider God's authority as more powerful than the King's, thereby undermining the sovereign's claim to divine rule.

When the railway came to town, Canterbury instantly became more accessible to other parts of the country and soon started to draw a new type of pilgrim – tourists.

As England 's second most visited town with over 2.5m tourists arriving each year, it naturally follows that the tourism sector plays a vital role in the local economy.

Representing more than 1,400 years of Christian history and a World Heritage Site, Canterbury 's Cathedral is the city's main pull and helps to sustain a tourism industry that provides work for 10 per cent of the workforce and contributes £258m every year to the local economy. Once the tourists are here the retailers, restaurateurs and hoteliers do as much as they can to entice them to spend their money – and it seems to work. The wider distribution, hotel and restaurant sector accounts for about 16,500 employees, 28% of total employment in Canterbury , with the Whitefriars shopping centre employing a significant proportion of these jobs.

As the administrative centre for 26 local parish councils, Canterbury is also the seat for local government overseeing the public administration, health and education for around 150,000 residents. With the likes of East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust which employs 8,000 staff, and Canterbury City Council, employing around 450 workers, the public sector is the biggest provider of jobs in the region and accounts for 36% of the workforce.

Financial and business services also significantly contribute to the district's economy. This sector, which is largely concentrated in the City of Canterbury , employs an estimated 13% of local employees.

The local manufacturing sector has experienced moderate employment growth in the last decade, however this is one area which is likely to be affected in the current economic climate..

Key business districts
There are well over 30 existing business parks, industrial and trading estates plus additional clusters of business activity across the district, ranging from Canterbury city's Wincheap Industrial Estate to smaller business parks retaining office, light industrial units. Other key Business parks are City Business Park , Canterbury Retail Park , Stour Valley Business Park and Lakesview International Business Park .

Worth noting is the so-called ‘peninsula' effect that Canterbury and the wider area of Kent are classified as. With 180-degree hinterlands and relatively poor transport links, the area has difficulties in competing with other parts of the South East when attracting businesses.

So in response, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has set up a number of ‘Enterprise Hubs' to support and improve the start-up and survival rate of knowledge-based companies in the city.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, take a look at some of the current property available to buy or let in Canterbury.

Take a closer look
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see some images from in and around Canterbury below.

Looking for local vacancies? See all current jobs in Canterbury or find out more information on the local area.