Preston small businesses: Preston joins iwoca's 'Top 25 Towns & Cities for SME Jobs' list for the first time
Preston has been named one of the best cities to work for a small business in Britain, according to new research compiled by iwoca - one of Europe’s largest small business lenders.
iwoca’s annual ‘Top 25 Towns & Cities for SME Jobs’ list, which ranks areas using ONS data on average wage, commute, job density, house price and growth of the number of a small-medium sixed businesses, found that in 2023, Glasgow, Salford and Liverpool are the top three areas to consider if you want to work for a small business.
Preston entered the top 25 list for the first time, ranking 9th due to its high scores in commuting time, being a short 29 minutes, and its job density of 1.08 – this means the number of jobs per resident of working age.
The average hourly pay in Preston was also found to be £17.48, the average house price £160,000 and the city’s SME growth between 2017-22 was 10.92%.
Nearby Blackburn with Darwen came in fourth place, climbing 13 places and ranking highly for its short average commuting time and SME growth.
Another North West entry, Warrington takes the fifth place, whilst Manchester, which secured last year’s second place, dropped to 16th.
Greater London failed to feature in the top 25 list for the second time. While enjoying a high hourly wage, Londoners face among the highest house prices in the UK with median house price of £582,289, and a typical daily commute of 40 minutes.
Colin Goldstein, Commercial Growth Director at iwoca, said: “SMEs both nationally and locally, are creating thousands of jobs and providing the goods and services that keep Britain ticking. Job seekers looking for a fulfilling, dynamic career should consider looking beyond large corporations and to the SMEs in communities right across the UK. It is fantastic to see a wide geographical spread in our top 25 list this year, highlighting the range of thriving towns and cities that best support SMEs and their employees.”
See the full rankings below:
1-Glasgow City
2-Salford
3-Liverpool
4-Blackburn with Darwen
5-Warrington
6-Southampton
7-Newcastle upon Tyne
8-Ipswich
9-Preston
10-Cardiff
11-Slough
12-Darlington
13-Kingston upon Hull
14-Worcester
15-Nottingham
16-Manchester
17-Dartford
18-Dundee City
19-Peterborough
20-Stoke-on-Trent
21-Portsmouth
22-Swansea
23-Crawley
24-Derby
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