Jobs in Derby | Pictures of Derby

Derby, located in the heart if the industrial East Midlands, is one of England’s fastest growing cities in terms of wealth creation. Despite having a cathedral since the 1300s, it took over 700 years before Derby was finally granted city status on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Today, the city is on the up and more than £2bn is being invested in Derby to ensure that the city matches the quality of its economy.

Home to 250,000 people and a hinterland of 650,000, Derby’s central location means 6 million people can access the city in less than an hour. Its excellent road links via the M1 and M6 means that 80% of the population is within a two hour drive.

Then and now
Derby’s DNA is both innovation and application: it is a city of thinkers and doers. From developing the first water-powered silk mill followed by the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill to the Spitfire, Derby quickly made its mark throughout the Industrial Revolution and its rich manufacturing sector continues to position it as an engineering centre of excellence today.

Indeed, Derby is the UK centre for Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace with its £53bn order book guaranteeing the future prosperity of the plant in the city. Other major employers within this sector include Bombardier, which has an order book of around£1bn and Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK), which has confirmed that the new Avensis production will take place in Derby. Overall, the sector provides work for around 22,000 people in Derby.

Although manufacturing is still a significant force in the city, a growing number of people are working in the service sector, with over 18 per cent of the city’s workforce employed. And this is complemented by a growing customer service sector which now provides jobs for around 28,000 people in the city’s various telecommunications and banking operations, including the Derbyshire Building Society, Software AG, Prudential Banking and Egg – Derby’s largest finance and banking employer

The emerging creative industries are bringing diversity and vitality to the local economy with over 2,000 people employed in this sector. And with Derby giving the gaming world the iconic Tomb Raider and Lara Croft series from Core Design, the city is leading the way in incubating new companies within the creative sector.

Furthermore, Derby is often regarded as a ‘beacon’ of high-tech engineering by an organisation that monitors the performance of UK cities. Indeed, its economy, traditionally driven by heavy industry, has adjusted to the opportunities and threats of globalisation by shifting to high-tech engineering which has seen Derby provide the greatest number of private sector jobs in the country.

Today, more than 12,000 (11.7 per cent of the working population) people are employed in high-tech jobs in Derby, more than the number in Nottingham, Leicester and Stoke put together and significantly higher than the national average (2.96 per cent).

Derby has successfully transformed its traditional manufacturing capability into a high-skilled economy to be able to compete on a global scale. As diverse as its economy, Derby’s heartbeat remains as a centre for design, technology and innovation in aerospace, rail technology and IT.

In fact the city is rated number one in England for visible exports per capita – greater than London. As such, the likes of Atkins Rail Ltd, Balfour Beatty & Co Ltd, Bemrose Group Limited, Acordis Acetate Chemicals Limited, and Delta Rail all play a significant role in the local economy.

Key business distrcits
Axion Business Park located just 2 miles south-east of Derby city centre for offices, research & development, distribution, industrial, showroom, self-storage and trade counter.

Named after arguably – and perhaps the most argumentative yet most respected – football manager and famous son of Derby, the Brian Clough Business Centre is located within a large residential suburb on the outskirts of the city on one of the main arterial routes, and is home to a number of light industrial units and offices.

Elsewhere, there is Southgate Business Innovation Centre and Derby Commercial Park. Jubilee Business Park is one of Derby's newest business park developments occupying a highly prominent location on Stores Road. The development is a short distance from the city centre and provides swift links to the A52 (via Sir Frank Whittle Road A61), the A38 and M1. Whereas Osmaston Road Business Park is a well-established business park located approximately one mile to the South of Derby City Centre, just off Osmaston Road (A514).

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

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

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