Jobs in Winchester | Pictures of Winchester

With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the UK and set within one of the wealthiest regions of the country, Winchester has a thriving economy with culture, history, tradition and character in abundance.

Then and now
Winchester’s history is a true tale of rags to riches back to rags and now to riches again in the twenty-first century. Established by Alfred the Great as the capital of his Kingdom of Wessex- the closest thing England had to a united kingdom at the time, Winchester flourished and ranked alongside London, a status confirmed when William the Conqueror held two coronations - one in Winchester and one in London. Soon after, William commissioned a bevy of local monks to write what was to become the most significant piece of work in English history – the Domesday Book.

But a fire in the 12th century destroyed most of the city and Winchester struggled for more than 500 to fully recover. By the close of the 19th century, Winchester was a thriving market town and fast becoming a popular destination for wealthy merchants and traders along the south coast.

With almost a thousand years of history crammed into its cathedral and castle, Winchester has continued to attract a plethora of visitors – this time in the form of tourists. Indeed, tourism brings over £222m into the local economy each year, and the demand for hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation continues to grow.

And with attention focused on the south of England for the impending 2012 Olympic Games, Winchesters relatively close proximity to the capital will inevitably have its benefits. As it stands, the distribution, hotel and restaurant/bar sector accounts for around 21 per cent of all employment opportunities in the city.
However, the biggest area of job creation can be found in the fields of education, health and public administration, collectively termed the public sector. Winchester is the administrative centre for Hampshire and provides work for precisely 1 in 3 people (33.3 per cent of the workforce).

Given its prominent location in one of the wealthiest parts of Britain and its high desirability factor, it is not surprising that Winchester is home to a plethora of legal firms, insurance and banking organisations such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Denplan and Dutton Gregory Solicitors. Collectively, the finance sector accounts for almost 1 in 4 jobs (24.7 per cent) in Winchester.

There are a number of sectors in which employment in Winchester has been stable whilst it has fallen sharply nationally - Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Instrumentation are two examples. Whilst the manufacturing sector on the whole creates employment for around 6 per cent of the workforce.

Key business districts
In the absence of a definable commercial district per se other than the town centre of course, much of Winchester’s business sector is spread across the city and the surrounding region at a number of business and industrial parks, including Bar End, Denmead, St Martin’s, New Farm and the biggest of them all Solent Business Park.

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

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

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