Cardiff jobs market

Before the industrial revolution, Cardiff was just a small village. From the early 1800s, the region started to export coal to countries around the world, which led to rapid development in its trading activities and a large inflow of migrants to Cardiff. However, it took the town until 1905 to acquire the city status, and another 50 years to become the capital of Wales.
From its modern waterfront and historical castles to the National Museum of Wales, Principality Stadium, and a vibrant nightlife – Cardiff has a lot to offer to students and professionals coming to the city for work. While being home to Cardiff City Football Club, Cardiff is also a popular destination for rugby fans.
Cardiff was ranked the third best capital city in Europe, according to The Quality of Life in European Cities Survey. In terms of cost of living and average disposable income of citizens, Cardiff ranked third among 12 UK cities, according to a recent survey by price comparison site MoneySuperMarket.com. Put simply, Cardiff is a great place to build your career.

Job Opportunity

Overall, job prospects in Wales have improved significantly over the past few years. According to NatWest’s Regional Economic Tracker, Wales records the UK’s fastest growth in job creation, outside London. Cardiff accounts for 20 percent of Welsh GDP. The city, being the capital of Wales, houses most of the Welsh government offices, creating hundreds of public sector jobs every year. Most of these offices are located in Cathays Park. While being the largest exporter of coal in the UK, Cardiff is also a major centre for steel production. Banking and finance sectors are growing fast in the city. South African bank MotoNovo is planning to move its headquarters to Cardiff, which is likely to create hundreds of jobs.

Key Industries

At present, tourism, finance, media, and retail sectors form the backbone of Cardiff’s economy. The manufacturing sector employs around 10 percent of the total workforce. Recent years have seen rapid growth in the city’s film and television sector, with many popular series, including Merlin, Casualty, and Doctor Who filmed in the city. A number of regeneration projects, including the Central Square projects, Cardiff train station-redesigning project, Porth Teigr project, and Cardiff Waterside project are going on in the city, creating employment opportunity for thousands of aspirants in the field of real estate, construction, and pharmaceuticals.

Finance

The banking and finance sector employs more than 50000 people in the city. Many acclaimed national and international banks and financial institutions, including HBOS, Principality Building Society, Legal & General, Brains, and ING Direct have offices in the city. Most of these offices are located in Brunel House and Capital Tower.

Tourism

More than 30 million tourists visit Cardiff every year. The city made it to the list of top 10 alternative destinations for international travellers by the National Geographic magazine. Cardiff is the only Wales city listed in the top 50 most visited places in Britain, according to government statistics. It is no wonder then that the city’s tourism sector plays a major role in job creation. The City of Cardiff Council estimates around £500m will be invested in the city’s tourism sector over the next 15 years, mainly for building more five-star accommodation. Many acclaimed hospitality companies, such as Marriott International and Hilton Hotels & Resorts, are already doing business in Cardiff. Alongside, there is a large number of bed and breakfast hotels located across the city.

Bioscience

There are more than 250 pharmaceutical and medical apparatus manufacturing companies in the city, thanks to the easy availability of young talents from the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) and Cardiff University. The sector alone employs more than 15,000 people in the city.

Media and entertainment

Cardiff is the main centre for media and entertainment industry in Wales. Top media companies that have offices in the city include BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Wales, and S4C. The BBC has also built a new studio in Cardiff Bay for shooting films and television series. The media and entertain sector employs more than two percent of the city’s total workforce.

There is no lack of career opportunities in Cardiff. All you need is to keep a tab on local newspapers or recruitment websites for the right jobs in Cardiff.
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