Jobs in Northampton | Pictures of Northampton

Northampton's position in the centre of England has given it national importance ever since the Norman Conquest of 1066. It’s somewhat extreme abundance of stately homes and historic churches across the region has earned it the epithet of as the county town of ‘squires and spires’.

For centuries boots and shoes were the mainstay of the local economy that saw Northampton remaining as one of the most important towns in England. And its designation as a ‘new town’ in 1968 stimulated a new period of rapid growth that has seen it become the UK’s third largest town without city status after Reading and Dudley. But its development hasn’t stopped. Indeed, Northampton is within a dedicated expansion zone which will see its population grow from 203,000 (2007) to around 300,000 by 2018.

Then and now
Northampton is a town that has learned to reinvent itself time and time again with a history that would test the resolve of its inhabitants throughout the centuries. In 1675, a fire burnt most of the town to the ground, whilst the Georgian town that emerged from the ashes was itself overcome by the swell of the Industrial Revolution that left few pockets of the Midlands unscathed. When shoe- and boot- making was at its zenith, it is said that around half the UK population and the Empire wore footwear that had been manufactured in Northampton.

Since the decline of the leather industry, the town’s prosperity has mainly derived from service industries, although there are degrees of specialisation in traditional manufacturing, construction and distribution. And during the last 25 years, over 200 companies have located in the town, creating 18,000 jobs in the process - 70 of these companies were from overseas.

Given the town’s strategic geographical position and excellent infrastructure, Northampton has positioned itself as an ideal base for transportation and distribution-based activities. Indeed, there are a number of leading large-scale companies with distribution centres in Northampton, including Carlsberg-Tetley, Coca-Cola Schweppes, TNT Express, John Lewis Partnership, Levi Strauss (UK), and Tesco. And the distribution sector sits alongside the hotel and restaurant industry that has seen continuous growth over the last few years in terms of the number of jobs that they support. Combined, more than 27,000 people are employed in distribution, hotels and restaurant sector making it the third most significant employer in the area.

However, the most important economic driver in Northampton is the finance, IT and business services sector, with the likes of Barclays Bank, Nationwide Building Society and Premium Search all having operations in the area and being some of the biggest employers within a sector that employs 25 per cent (32,000 people) of the local workforce.

And this is closely followed by the public sector. Being the administrative town for Northamptonshire, the areas of public administration, education and health combine to provide jobs for around 30,000 people - a sector boosted somewhat by the amalgamation of Nene College and the University College to form the University of Northampton in 2005.

Northampton retains a significant base of traditional manufacturing, although, as elsewhere, manufacturing employment is declining. Employing around 1 in 10 workers (12-13,000 people), the manufacturing sector still commands a number of impressive organisations in the Northampton area, including Airflow Streamlines, British Timken, Diversey Lever. Whilst the likes of Travis Perkins plays an integral part of the construction sector that employs some 5,000 workers. Elsewhere, 12,000 are employed in the transport and communications sector.

Key business districts
Northampton Business Park is located in one of Northampton's premier business parks, just 2 miles from Junction 15 of the M1 motorway and is home to a number of corporations, including Barclaycard. Whereas nearby Rushmills Business Park, on the site of the old paper mill, is an attractive waterside development that house the likes of Iceberg, Aqua Gas AVK, and NRG Group.

Elsewhere, the Lakes Business Park is on the opposite side of the A428 and is where a number of public sector, finance and legal organisations are located, such as Northamptonshire County Council, National Grid, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Shoosmiths Solicitors, Persimmon Homes, and Allied Irish Bank.

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

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

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