Jobs in Salisbury | Pictures of Salisbury

Surrounded by the great plains and the picturesque Wiltshire countryside, Salisbury is a city with a population of around 45,000 people yet it feels more like a town. And this gives an indication as to the type of employers to be found here. Indeed, more than 90 per cent of the 5,500 business located in the area employ less than 4 people but, their importance and contribution to the overall economic activity of Salisbury are significant and form a strong ‘hidden economy’.

Salisbury is more than simply a picture postcard economy. It has one of the strongest science and technology hubs in the country and boasts the lowest employment rates in the South of England, with an increasing number of defence, avionics, pharmaceutical, research and healthcare organisations coming to the area.

Then and now
Since the twelfth century Salisbury remained the most important and vibrant economy in Wiltshire until industrialisation saw the mantle pass from its hands and into the clutches of Swindon, hitherto a small market town that soon found itself the centre of the industrial revolution upon completion of the canal system and railway. Indeed, Salisbury was relatively untouched by industrialisation and the city and surrounding area has long been dominated by an agricultural economy.

But the post-World War Two era saw Britain move away from traditional farming methods towards an intensification of the industry which, combined with falling demand for UK exports, fell as a result of increased – and cheaper – competition from overseas producers, saw the importance of agriculture as a major economic driver rapidly decline. And today, Salisbury has conformed to the national trend of positioning itself as a services-led economy and an investor in growth industries, such as hi-tech industries.

Where once it was the dominant employer in the region, the agricultural sector only has a marginal share of the local economy, with 9 per cent of the workforce currently employed within around 500 businesses that continue to operate within this sector. And this is similar to the manufacturing sector which has been in decline for a number of years, providing employment for 8 per cent of all workers in Salisbury. That said there are a number of notable manufacturers operating out of Salisbury, such as Pains Wessex, Lovibond Tintometer and Naish Felts.

Of increasing importance to the local economy is the finance, banking and insurance sector. Despite only employing around 8 per cent of the city’s workforce at the time of writing, the finance sector has been earmarked as a key growth industry and a major economic driver for Salisbury that is already attracting a number of key companies to the region. Indeed, Friends Provident, one of the leading financial institutions in the country and listed on the FTSE100 Index, employs over 900 staff. Whilst James Hay, a specialist pension advisory company, provides work for over 700 in its city centre offices.

And where an expanding finance sector exists, a buoyant retail and tourism industry inevitably operates. Salisbury is one of the oldest cities in Britain with a spectacular cathedral that many consider to be the finest example of Gothic architecture in the country, attracting visitors in their hoards every year. This inevitably stimulates local trade and sustains the local shops, hotels and restaurants to extent that approximately 1 in 5 jobs in Salisbury can be found in the retail and tourism sector.

Salisbury has a thriving scientific and hi-tech community which employs several thousand people – most of whom work within the so-called Salisbury Research Triangle. With a high number of private sector and MOD organisations operating form within the Triangle, some of the leading players within this sector include the Health Protection Agency, Chemring Thales, Bruhn NewTech, QinetiQ aircraft testing and evaluation and the largest science and technology organisation in Europe, and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratories which employs over 2,000 staff at its Boscombe Down Airfield site.

However, the most important sector in employment terms is the public sector. As the most populated location outside Swindon in Wiltshire, Salisbury is home to a number of organisations involved in the fields of education, public administration and health. Salisbury Hospitals NHS Trust, for instance, has an international reputation for innovative research and pioneering scientific work in the areas of biomedical engineering and medical physics. As such, the Trust is one of the biggest employers in the city along with Salisbury City Council which itself provides work for over 700 people.

Key business districts
Salisbury’s commercial centre is predominantly located within the city centre itself whilst the surrounding areas, particularly Amesbury, Downton and Wilton, are home to a number of industrial, business and research parks.

Amesbury is a major new employment growth area in the Salisbury district. It is located within the Salisbury Research Triangle with Solstice Park at its centre. A £250 million development on a 160 acre, Solstice Park is one of the largest mixed-use developments in the country and provides the largest employment and business investment opportunities in the district.

Elsewhere, Churchfields Industrial Estate is the largest of its kind in the region and is home to 160 companies that employ over 4,500 staff between them.

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

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

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