Jobs in Exeter | Pictures of Exeter

Exeter, the historic county town of Devon, has developed principally as the regional administrative and service centre. Located at the northern tip of the Exe Estuary, some 15km from the coast and with a population of around 111,300 - adding 1,000 inhabitants every year- Exeter is often eclipsed by the better-known and more frequented Bristol and Bath.

But what Exeter lacks in terms of size it more than compensates with its desirability factor and high quality environment that is the envy of many cities in the UK, despite being in a predominantly rural county.

Then and now
Exeter’s history can be traced 2,000 years when it was founded by the Celts and later expanded by the Romans who quickly capitalised on the economic potential of the River Exe. By the time of the Norman Conquest, Exeter was already established as one of England’s largest towns and throughout the following centuries the town continued to profit from its port and soon established itself as a major centre for the cloth and wool trade.

Yet despite extensive damage during the Luftwaffe raids of World War II, Exeter’s ancient centre has been redeveloped and the city has re-established itself as a worthy county town. In fact, it has been identified as one of the top ten most profitable locations for a business to be based, with a catchment workforce of about 300,000 people within a 45- minute commute of the city.

Indeed, the Met Office, for instance, the main weather forecasting organisation for the UK and one of the most significant in the world, relocated from Bracknell in Berkshire to Exeter in early 2004 and is one of the three largest employers in the city - the others being the University of Exeter and Devon County Council.
The Banking, finance and insurance sector is a major employment source providing work for around 18 per cent of the working population with the likes of Friends Provident Group being one of the biggest employers in this sector.

However, the public administration, education and health sector is the foremost employer, with 35,000 – 2 in 5 – people working in it. Aside from the University and Council, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Trust are the main employers in this sector, employing over 2,000 workers between them.

And despite their best attempts, the Luftwaffe failed to entirely destroy Exeter and much of the city’s medieval architecture still remains and continue attract visitors in their droves. With over 383,000 trips made by staying visitors generating an estimated £73m for the local economy each year, tourism continues to be the mainstay of Exeter’s economy, employing 7 per cent of the city’s workforce in its own right but more than 20 per cent when you factor the number of people employed in restaurants and hotels.

Aside from the tradition sectors above, there are a number of sizeable employers in Exeter who employ more than 1,000 workers yet fall under the ‘other’ sector. These include, British Telecom, Flybe and EDF Energy. Whereas Alcoa Howmet, Tesco Stores and the Highways Agency are other significant employment providers for the town.

Key business districts
Exeter is investing substantial in its business provision and has a number of key business areas both on the outskirts and the city centre itself. The commercial sector is, as you might expect, in the city centre itself. Exeter Business Park, adjacent to the new Met Office Headquarters and Junction 29 of the M5, is home to a number of organisations including EDF Energy and BT.

Elsewhere, just one mile south of the centre, Marsh Barton is Exeter's largest trading estate with over 500 diverse businesses including one of Europe's largest motoring centres, showrooms, builders merchants, tool and plant hire. And there are other industrial estates at Matford and Sowton.

Pynes Hill Business Park has prestigious self-contained modern office buildings set in a landscaped environment, whereas Woodwater Park is a new high quality out of town office area with Nexus and South West Tourism headquartered there.

One to look out for is the new £120m Science Park that is planned. The Park will become a centre for developing Exeter’s technology-based industries by utilising the city’s links with the Met office and Exeter University.

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

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

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