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April 18, 2024
Located in the South West of England, Swindon is a popular commuter hub for those working in Bristol and London. The large town, situated in Wiltshire county, is around 70 miles west of London and just 25 miles northeast of Bristol.
With excellent transport links taking you directly to the M4 motorway, and easy access to mainline rail services, you could be in the capital in less than an hour. But you don’t have to look so far afield for employment opportunities.
Swindon happens to be a hub of industry, with multiple large companies calling the town home. Swindon enjoys a high productivity rate and excellent employment rate, making it a strong contender for those looking for new employment opportunities.
Swindon enjoys a rich and varied history, with first mentions of the town dating back to the Domesday Book. It later became known as a bartering town, or a market town, where traders would gather on key routes to make important trades. The Industrial Revolution paved the way for Swindon to enjoy exceptional growth, largely down to the construction of the canal system.
The Great Western Railway was another significant transport link, with Swindon being the site of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Swindon Works. This was where many of the UK’s locomotives were constructed and the Works even had its own small village just for the workers. Brunel was largely credited with turning Swindon into one of the fastest growing towns in Europe in the 19th Century. The Works is now home to a Steam Museum where you can see Brunel’s legacy on display.
Although the railway is no longer the largest employer in the area, Swindon enjoys a strong and productive economy to this day. Popular sectors today include manufacturing, engineering, construction, distribution, logistics, retail, leisure, education, life sciences, healthcare, digital, technology and professional services.
Companies in the area are typically larger than average, and many of them are major businesses with long and rich histories. This means that employment opportunities in the area are typically very stable with excellent career progression. For those seeking more excitement, there is also no shortage of new ventures and startups making the most of the booming population.
Swindon has been the recipient of multi million pound investments over the years, offering more and more working opportunities for those with niche skills and experience. This makes it a popular town for those who want to work in the local area, along with those keen to make Swindon their hub as they commute to Bristol, London or other towns like Oxford, Reading, Bath and Cheltenham. Swindon is often listed as one of the popular places to live in the UK thanks to the excellent job opportunities and the higher than average incomes available in certain sectors.
The biggest employers include companies like Amazon, McDonald’s, Intel Corporation, Tesco, Nationwide Building Society, Siemens, Sainsbury’s and the NHS. Swindon is also the headquarters for well known companies such as Halcrow, the engineering consultancy firm and W H Smith. At the time of writing, job website Indeed has over 7,500 job listings for Swindon alone.
For a town to be a popular choice with residents, there also needs to be plenty to keep them entertained. Thankfully, Swindon has plenty going on with the confines of the town, and excellent links to London, Bristol and Bath mean that you’re never far from the action.
Swindon’s cultural scene is always worth a look, with plenty of festivals and events throughout the year, including the Swindon Jazz & Soul Festival Fringe and the Swindon Cheese & Chilli Festival. The Wyvern Theatre also has a jam packed schedule to check out and the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery offers plenty of cultural engagement.
Shoppers are well catered to in Swindon thanks to multiple shopping malls, including an outlet mall. There are also retail parks aplenty, and for those looking for something more unique, there are also independent stores and smaller boutiques.
Those looking for outdoor pursuits are well served within the confines of the town. There are plenty of green spaces within the town, including the Shaw Forest Park, Coate Water Country Park and the Queen’s Park. This is the perfect spot to wind down and enjoy the flora and fauna. For those looking for more adventure, Swindon is perfectly positioned between the Cotswolds and the North Wessex Downs. These areas of outstanding natural beauty are perfect for a weekend of exploring.
Swindon boasts a rich industrial heritage that it manages to seamlessly blend with a level of modernity that places it in the ranks of any other thriving town or city in the UK.
In terms of employment prospects, there are few places as strong as Swindon in terms of the number of employers, the number of vacancies, the average salaries and the transport links to other key employment hubs.
Cost is also a key factor in what makes a place attractive to residents. And Swindon manages to offer higher than average salaries in some sectors, which is coupled with lower than average living costs. When compared with neighbouring places like Bristol or Bath, Swindon offers lower living costs which will help your salary to go further.
In closing, Swindon is a thriving town with excellent prospects. Those looking for a fresh start would do well to start their search in Swindon.
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