Jobs in Milton Keynes | Pictures of Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is by all intents and purposes a ‘new city’. Purposefully constructed during the 1960s under the government’s plans to relieve the housing congestion in London, these 22,000 acres of Buckinghamshire was deliberately identified as a prime location for the biggest ‘new town’ development to date on account of it being equidistant from London and Birmingham. Encompassing existing towns of Bletchley, Stony Stratford and Wolverton, the new settlement became known as Milton Keynes – named after the smallest village in the area.

Three decades of rapid growth has created a rich, diverse and vibrant city that has become the fastest growing urban centre in Britain. And with a successful track record in attracting businesses to the region, Milton Keynes’ status as the strongest local economy in the South East outside London is assured.

Then and now
Although Milton Keynes is a new city, it does have some history too, which can be traced back to the ancient human settlements during the Bronze Age. The construction of the London to Birmingham railway brought some degree of prosperity to the local area with the opening of the railway workshops in Wolverton which provided a main source of employment for the area. And by the time the new boundary of Milton Keynes was defined in 1967, more than 40,000 people resided there.

More than forty years on, the population of Milton Keynes stands at around 230,000 and it is one of the strongest local economies in the South East with 30 per cent of businesses set up since 2000 alone and generating around 5,000 new jobs a year.

Indeed, the town currently receives more inward investment enquiries than any other area in the South East of England and boasts more than 500 (8 per cent of the total number of businesses in the area) foreign-owned businesses, notably European, American and Japanese companies which bolster the production sector.

Employing around 13 per cent of the workforce, the production sector is one of the most significant employers in the city with one of Milton Keynes’ unique selling point being its skilled workforce that has attracted a number of leading manufacturing – predominantly automotive - organisations to be based here, including Suzuki GB Plc, Daimler-Chrysler, Aston Martin and Volkswagen Group Ltd.

But with a population in excess of ¼ million people and its central location, Milton Keynes is widely regarded as being second only to London in terms of the number of small business being set-up in the UK. Indeed, this trend is reflected in the fact that the retail space and office market is among the most expensive in the UK outside of the capital.

Underpinning much of this investment is a growing banking and finance sector that provides employment opportunities for over 25 per cent of the workforce, with the likes of Abbey Group/Santander having a significant presence in Milton Keynes.

And with a prosperous local economy comes a booming retail – notably hotels, restaurants and shops – sector, which employs over 31 per cent of the workforce, Argos and Tesco being the largest employers.

However, as one of the largest conurbations in Buckinghamshire with a population of around 250,000, it comes as no surprise to learn that the public sector plays a central role when it comes to overall employment opportunities in Milton Keynes. Indeed, the Council, Open University and Milton Keynes NHS Trust are the biggest employers in the health, public administration and education fields. Whilst the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is the leading government department based here.

Due to its close proximity to the commercial centres of London, Oxford, Birmingham and Cambridge, and being one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, Milton Keynes has become a major conference centre. Indeed, with over 30 hotels - including modern city centre hotels and traditional country house hotels - and four purpose-built conference centres, the city is fast becoming the natural location for major events and conferences.

Key business districts
The main employment centre is Central Milton Keynes, which supports over 25,000 jobs. Elsewhere, Bletchley Park – the site that cracked the German Enigma code during World War Two.

Cranfield University and the Open University are home to a number of research and development and high-tech companies.

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

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

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