Are these the 25 best jobs in the UK?

Is yours on the list?

Olivia Petter
Wednesday 23 January 2019 16:54 GMT
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(Getty Images)

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What makes a good job “the best job”?

Is it having a manageable workload? Sociable hours? A friendly boss? Or is it just about how much PG Tips is stockpiled in the kitchen?

According to recruitment site Glassdoor, it boils down to three factors: earning potential, job satisfaction, and number of job openings.

Using these measures, it identified the top 25 jobs in the UK – and almost every one includes the word “manager” in the title.

In first place is audit manager with a median base salary of £52,000 and an average job satisfaction rate of four-and-a-half out of five.

PWC, one of the UK’s biggest accounting firms, is currently recruiting for an audit manager. Among a list of responsibilities, it cites “managing a portfolio of client and delivering high quality audit and assurance service” in addition to controlling auditing staff and identifying ways to maximize the relationship with clients.

Finance manager comes in second, with a median base salary of £60,000, followed by marketing manager, product manager and sales manager.

On Glassdoor’s website, the company explains that in order for a job title to be considered for the list, it must receive at least 30 salary reports and at least 30 job satisfaction ratings as shared by UK-based employers in the last year.

As for job openings, it clarified that this number represents the number of active job listings listed for that employer on Glassdoor as of 2 January this year.

The company published a list twice the size for jobs in America, and the first few inclusions, aside from marketing manager, were noticeably different.

The top spot was occupied by data scientist, which boasts a median salary of $108,000 (£82,590). This was followed by nursing manager, marketing manager and occupational therapist. The full US list can be seen here.

See Glassdoor’s full list of the 25 best jobs in the UK below.

1. Audit Manager

Median base salary: £52,000

Job satisfaction: 4.5 / 5

Job openings: 1,124

2. Finance Manager

Median base salary: £60,000

Job satisfaction: 3.8 / 5

Job openings: 2,001

3. Marketing Manager

Median base salary: £42,500

Job satisfaction: 3.9 / 5

Job openings: 1,966

4. Product Manager

Median base salary: £52,500

Job satisfaction: 3.8 / 5

Job openings: 1,697

5. Sales Manager

Median base salary: £42,000

Job satisfaction: 3.8 / 5

Job openings: 2,795

6. Risk Manager

Median base salary: £60,000

Job satisfaction: 3.9 / 5

Job openings: 1,111

7. Data Scientist

Median base salary: £46,000

Job satisfaction: 4 / 5

Job openings: 995

8. Operations Manager

Median base salary: £42,000

Job satisfaction: 3.7 / 5

Job openings: 2,226

9. Design Manager

Median base salary: £55,000

Job satisfaction: 4.1 / 5

Job openings: 719

10. Business Analyst

Median base salary: £40,000

Job satisfaction: 3.7 / 5

Job openings: 2,949

11. Front End Developer

Median base salary: £35,000

Job satisfaction: 4 / 5

Job openings: 1,841

12. Commercial Manager

Median base salary: £57,000

Job satisfaction: 4 / 5

Job openings: 701

13. Business Development Manager

Median base salary: £37,060

Job satisfaction: 3.7 / 5

Job openings: 3,915

14. Project Manager

Median base salary: £39,000

Job satisfaction: 3.6 / 5

Job openings: 7,320

15. HR Manager

Median base salary: £49,000

Job satisfaction: 4.1 / 5

Job openings: 664

16. Contract Manager

Median base salary: £40,000

Job satisfaction: 3.7 / 5

Job openings: 1,687

17. Communications Manager

Median base salary: £43,700

Job satisfaction: 4.1 / 5

Job openings: 651

18. Software Engineer

Median base salary: £43,000

Job satisfaction: 3.5 / 5

Job openings:4,876

19. Executive Assistant

Median base salary: £37,000

Job satisfaction: 4.1 / 5

Job openings: 853

20. HR Business Partner

Median base salary: £49,000

Job satisfaction: 3.8 / 5

Job openings: 753

21. Engagement Manager

Median base salary: £48,000

Job satisfaction: 4.3 / 5

Job openings: 405

22. Web Developer

Median base salary: £31,000

Job satisfaction: 3.9 / 5

Job openings: 1,586

23. Recruiter

Median base salary: £25,000

Job satisfaction: 4.4 / 5

Job openings: 2,862

24. Solutions Architect

Median base salary: £70,000

Job satisfaction: 3.4 / 5

Job openings: 1,597

25. Software Developer

Median base salary: £37,000

Job satisfaction: 3.5 / 5

Job openings: 3,088

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