Jobs in York | Pictures of York

York is a city that thrives on its cultural heritage and preserves – and exploits – its past for all its worth. With a tradition of major companies in the fields of chocolate manufacturing, railways and engineering, York’s present and future is being determined by its role as one of the leading centres in the fields of science and technology whilst at the same time, the tourism and retail industries continue to be major economic sectors. Take a look behind its exterior and you will see that there is more to York than Medieval cathedrals and chocolate oranges.

Then and now
During the English Civil War York was a Royalist stronghold, loyal to the Charles I who had established his court in the city, and for three solid months York was besieged by pro-Parliamentarian forces under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell who eventually defeated Charles’ kinsmen at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. But as luck would have it, York was spared the tradition of being levelled and burned to a cinder by local boy Sir Thomas Fairfax, who refused to allow his troops to damage the city unnecessarily. And it is thanks to him that the city and its iconic Minster were preserved – otherwise the York we know today would have been significantly different.

With its architecture still intact, York soon developed as the contemporary equivalent of a millionaire’s playground, home to the wealthy landed gentry who were seduced by its fashionable social scene. Such was the dominance of the local elite, the Industrial Revolution largely passed York by with the local merchants and socialites favouring making their wealth anywhere else but on their own doorstep. But the construction of the railway in 1839 soon changed that and stimulated the growth of a number of new industries, notably the railways and confectionary - a position that continued until the early 1980s when 30 per cent of the workforce were employed by just five employers, whilst 75 per cent of manufacturing jobs were in four just companies.

The confectionary business has a token gesture of an industry today in York. Nestlé bought out local company Rowntrees but soon made a number of its workforce redundant. Whilst rivals Terry’s sold out to Kraft Foods who in turn shut up shop and moved operations from its traditional home in York to Poland

In its heyday, the railway sector employed more the 6,000 men. Yet although its role as a major employer has dwindled somewhat, there remain some 3,000 jobs in the rail industry today - in engineering, design, track maintenance and renewals. Major rail firms, such as Balfour Beatty, WS Atkins, Captiva Rail, Omnicom Engineering, Northern Rail, and DMQA, all have operations in York. But it is the service industry that is the driving force behind York’s economy.

Indeed, more than 8 out of 10 workers in the areas of employed within related service occupations – particularly the public sector. Since becoming a unitary authority in 1997, York’s remit as an administrative centre was extended beyond the immediate City limits (around 138,000 people) to include rural areas, thereby increasing its population by a further 55,000.

Consequently, the fields of public administration, education and health have witnessed an increase in recruitment numbers with the City of York Council being the biggest employer in the region, with over 6,500 employees, closely followed by York Primary Care Trust which employs around 5,000.

But by far the most important industry for York’s local economy is tourism.

Being home to England’s largest medieval cathedral and unquestionably the most stunning example of Gothic architecture in the world, York Minister, along with Jorvik Viking Museum and the National Rail Museum, more than four million visitors flock to York every year spending over £300m in the process. This has created nearly 10,000 jobs (11 per cent of the workforce) in the local economy and sustains a tourism industry that is likely to last almost as long as the impressive York Minster itself (at least until the year 3009 by my reckoning).

And on the back of a strong tourism industry is a growing retail sector. York’s emphasis has shifted from attempting to lure big retailers to the city in favour of supporting smaller shops and independent retailers to help them develop organically, thereby enabling the city to retain its medieval charm and provide a unique shopping experience that doesn’t revolve around the staple high street names common to every town and city throughout the country.

Consisting of shops, hotels, restaurants and bars, the retail sector contribute to around 32 per cent of all jobs in York.

York has an increasingly modern and dynamic economy underpinned by traditional industries. Significantly in recent years there has been growing employment and investment in the fields of science and technology, focused through the National Science City York initiative.

With the University of York’s reputation as a leading centre for scientific teaching and research, particularly as one of the main bioscience clusters in the world, there are over 150 bioscience companies operating out o York and the surrounding area, employing around 3,700 people and generating over £13bn.
And since the early 2000s, York’s creative industries has grown apace with more than 80 new technology companies setting up shop within this sector between 1998 and 2008, creating over 3,000 jobs.

Key business districts
York Science Park is a 21-acre business park dominated by knowledge-based industries with direct links to the world class University of York, and it is the first

UK science park to offer dedicated IT, bioscience and knowledge-based incubation space on a single site.

Elsewhere, Airfield Business Park, five miles south east of York city centre, is home to a number of distribution, logistics and small-scale manufacturing companies.

Whilst located 12 miles to the north of the city is the Hawk Creative Business Park – the home for many of York’s rapidly expanding businesses within the creative industries sector.

And redevelopment of the old Terry’s Chocolate Factory site is anticipated to be one of the leading and most desirable office locations upon completion, complete with an on-site hotel, restaurant and modern apartments. Whereas The Edge – literally on the edge of the city centre – will be the most modern office development in the city with a number of leading financial and business services organisations already earmarked for relocating there.

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

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

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