Jobs in Southampton | Pictures of Southampton

Take a look at a map and it soon becomes obvious as to the strategic maritime importance of Southampton which guaranteed it a long and eventful history. The city’s port was the departure point for Henry V’s Agincourt-bound army and the maiden voyages of the Queen Mary and later the ill-fated Titanic in 1912. However, Southampton’s history does not always make for happy reading and much of the city was gutted by unpitying bombing during the Second World War, with little left of its early heritage.

Today, with no fewer than 25 multi-million pound development schemes underway set to dramatically transform the city, Southampton has emerged from the wreckage that was poor post-war city planning to become recognised as the clear commercial, cultural and retail capital of the south coast. With a population of around 250,000 and its increasing appeal to businesses looking to relocate to the area, Southampton is an ambitious city that is putting its money where its mouth is.

Then and now
Southampton has unashamedly exploited its port for everything that it is worth, and why not. Its location has made it the natural gateway to the Isle of Wight, the ports of northern France (the city is twinned Le Harve) and Spain are easily accessible, whereas the Atlantic is right on its doorstep. Not surprisingly, by the turn of the twentieth century and the increase in passenger freight to the likes of North America and Australia, Southampton became the obvious choice for Britain’s booming passenger industry – a prominent role it still retains today.

Indeed, Southampton is known as the ‘Cruise Capital of Northern Europe’ with over 280 cruise journeys departing from its dock every year, as well as being the largest freight port on the Channel coast and fourth largest UK port. And this has sustained the city’s tourism industry which continues to provide a main source of employment for the city. But tourism can only flourish if is supported by a sound retail sector, and that’s just what Southampton has.

In 2000, the West Quay Shopping Centre opened to become one of the largest of its kind in the country, and a number of hotel and other retail developments have been completed, thereby increasing the appeal of the city and creating a significant number of new jobs in the area. By 2012, the third and final phase, Watermark Westquay, will also be completed. Combined, the tourism and retail sector in Southampton are responsible for around 28 per cent of all jobs in the city with P & O Cruises (over 1,000 employees) and John Lewis Stores being the biggest employers in this industry. And a new IKEA - which is scheduled to open in spring 2009 – will be an additional boost to the local economy.

And funding much of the city’s redevelopment and the key economic driver is the banking, insurance and finance sector. Headquarters to the likes of Skandia Life Business Services – the largest private employer in the city - and leading regional centre for HSBC and NatWest, this sector proves employment for over 32 per cent of Southampton’s total workforce.

As one of the largest cities outside London and home to over 228,000 people, Southampton has become an important regional administrative centre employing around 10 per cent of the workforce in the fields of education, health and local policy. Indeed, the City Council is the largest single employer in Southampton and with its increasing influence as a centre for research, the University of Southampton’s importance on the local economy cannot be underestimated, providing employment for almost 4,500 people.

Other major employers in the city include Ordnance Survey, the UK's national mapping agency, whose headquarters are in the city employing over 1,500, along with Newsquest publishing who provide jobs for a further 1,000 people in the city.

The Lloyd's Register Group has announced plans to move its London marine operations to a specially developed site at the University of Southampton. Whilst Ford's Southampton assembly plant is one of the biggest of its kind in Europe and employs around 1,500 workers.

During the latter half of the 20th century, a more diverse range of industry also came to the city, including aircraft and automobile manufacture, cables, electrical-engineering products, and petrochemicals. These now sit alongside the city's traditional industries of the docks, grain milling, and tobacco processing with the likes of British American Tobacco based in Southampton.

Key business districts
Southampton Science Park is - as its name suggests – home to a number of science and technology based companies of all sizes, from fast growing start-ups to international household names such as BSkyB and Merck.

Elsewhere, Centurion Industrial Park, Bitterne Wharf, City Industrial Park and Milbrook Trading Estate are the city’s main commercial and industrial sites.

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

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

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