Jobs in Leeds | Pictures of Leeds

As the commercial capital of Yorkshire, Leeds is one of the fastest growing cities in the country having undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. Shedding its image as a dilapidated northern city, Leeds has become a flourishing city for business attracting a wealth of talent and leading companies.
Indeed, its ability to adapt and develop new markets has made Leeds a national hub for commerce and industry and one of the biggest city success stories in the UK.

And with 3.5 million sq ft of retail floor space, five miles of shopping streets and one of the country’s largest pedestrians shopping areas, it is easy to see why contemporary Leeds is Yorkshire’s most desirable place to live and work.

Then and now
The history of Leeds spans more than 1,500 years when it was once part of the Kingdom of Elmet, yet it passed through the subsequent centuries in relatively unremarkable fashion until the Industrial Revolution propelled Leeds as a major centre for the rapidly developing wool trade. Since then, the city has emerged as a centre for education boasting three major universities, and as an influential commercial location.

One of the distinct advantages of a Leeds location is the availability of a large workforce with the skills to meet the needs of a diverse and growing economy that combine to generate around £13.6bn for the local economy. In fact, Leeds has the second largest employment total outside London, an estimated 457,000 people.

The city is widely recognised as the most important legal centre outside London, with 180 firms based in there employing well over 8,000 people, with the likes of Eversheds and Walker Morris based there.

And where a strong legal sector operates, a sound financial and business services industry inevitably exists. With over 100,000 people employed in this sector, the finance and business sector generates around £5.5bn each year – more than any other industry in the city – within traditional banking set-ups and the rapidly developing call centre businesses in Leeds with major players based here, including First Direct, Direct Line Insurance Group, Yorkshire Bank and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

As one of the fastest growing centres for new media and the first city in the UK to have full broadband and digital coverage during the dot.com era, Leeds has a heritage of being at the centre of innovative technology. Indeed, over 33 per cent of the UK's internet traffic is claimed to go through Leeds, making it one of the most significant new media hubs in the country.

But the city also has a growing traditional media sector which has sustained Leeds’ position as the biggest centre for printing, packaging and publishing outside London, employing around 13,600 people in companies such as Yorkshire Post Newspapers and Yorkshire Television.

In fact, printing is the second largest manufacturing industry in the city and the second major centre in the country for paper, printing and publishing. Major firms are Communisis Chorleys (formerly Waddington's) and Polestar Petty. However, engineering is the largest manufacturing sector in Leeds with approximately 13,600 employees in 735 companies with overall manufacturing output expected to increase by 33 per cent over the next decade.
Combined, engineering and printing help position Leeds as the UK’s third largest manufacturing centre, with almost 2,000 businesses employing 39,000 people.

As the biggest city in Yorkshire, Leeds is currently the UK’s fifth largest shopping location with an estimated 1.9 million people living within 30 minutes drive and a total shopping catchment population of nearly 3.2 million people. With over 1,000 shops in the city centre, five miles of shopping streets, including five indoor shopping centres and one of the country’s largest pedestrian shopping areas in the country, the retail sector is one of the major employers in Leeds.

And with the retail sector acting as a significant magnet to outsiders, Leeds’ tourism industry has benefited. Indeed, the city attracts around 1.5 million people annually who stay overnight, plus a further 10 million who visit on day trips, thereby supporting over 20,000 full time jobs.

After finance and business, the public administration, education and health sector is the biggest employer. Leeds City Council and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust employ over 20,000 people between them. Whereas BUPA, British Telecom and Direct Line Group make up the rest of the city’s top five employers.

Key business districts
Manor Mills: Pioneering developer KW Linfoot Plc is once again breaking new ground with its latest scheme of luxury residential apartments in Leeds that will bring a totally different meaning to city living. Manor Mills is the exciting result of a unique new partnership which sees the first ever venture in Leeds by internationally acclaimed design-led developer, YOO.

Green Bank: Green bank is one of the most eagerly anticipated development projects in Leeds to date. Eight hundred apartments, with one and three bedrooms, will be complemented by commercial space for offices, restaurants and shops. This 'all-encompassing mixed use development' was designed by award-winning architects Assael.

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

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

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