Slough: Town lampooned in The Office and John Betjeman's poem crowned best place to work in UK
Glassdoor’s research compares the 50 most populated towns in the country by assessing three factors: hiring opportunity, cost of living and job satisfaction
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Your support makes all the difference.Slough, most famous for its portrayal as a dreary, post-industrial commuter town in cult sitcom The Office, has been named the best place to the work in the UK.
Research by Glassdoor, one of the world’s biggest job search sites, found that Slough offers the best combination of affordability and employment opportunity. Its proximity to major transport hubs, thanks to its location just outside Greater London, also helped propel it up the rankings.
Glassdoor ranked the best towns and cities in the country on criteria including ease of finding a job, how expensive it is and how satisfied people are with their work.
In many parts of the UK, property prices have rocketed as wages remained stagnant, and a jump in inflation since last year’s Brexit vote has dealt a further blow to cash-conscious households.
But Glassdoor found that Slough – the subject of a 1937 poem by John Betjeman, in which the former poet laureate suggested it should be destroyed by “friendly bombs” – is still a decent place to settle.
“With large multinational businesses establishing themselves in Slough, along with high average salaries and close proximity to major transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport, the Berkshire town has now emerged as a prime spot to live and work,” said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor.
He said that although people in London are “generally satisfied”, the capital “has proven not only to be an expensive place to live, but also an ultra-competitive city in which to find a job”.
The overall ranking was determined by allocating scores for each category on a scale of one to five.
Hiring opportunity was determined by the ratio of active job openings to population. Cost of living was calculated as the ratio of median annual base salary to average home value in the area. Job satisfaction ratings were based on at least 80 company reviews, written by local employees on Glassdoor’s website over the past year.
Slough secured an overall score of 4.2. The median base salary in the town is £35,000, while the median home value comes in at £390,654. Manchester was ranked second, followed by Cambridge, Swindon and Stoke on Trent.
Here is the full list:
1. Slough
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.2
Job Openings: 26,387
Median Base Salary: £35,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £390,654
Hot Jobs: Mobile Developer, Sales Manager, Recruitment Consultant
2. Manchester
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0
Job Openings: 41,555
Median Base Salary: £23,998
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
Median Home Value: £177,263
Hot Jobs: Data Scientist, Digital Marketing Executive, Retail Store Manager
3. Cambridge
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0
Job Openings: 21,645
Median Base Salary: £31,225
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
Median Home Value: £455,299
Hot Jobs: Software Engineer, Graphic Designer, Registered Nurse
4. Swindon
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.9
Job Openings: 15,307
Median Base Salary: £31,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: 248,514
Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Account Manager, Facilities Manager
5. Stoke-on-Trent
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.9
Job Openings: 16,381
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £143,328
Hot Jobs: Business Development Manager, Production Operator, Sales Consultant
6. Reading
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.8
Job Openings: 25,305
Median Base Salary: £35,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £422,120
Hot Jobs: Social Media Manager, Electrician, Sales Executive
7. Leeds
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.8
Job Openings: 41,097
Median Base Salary: £24,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £206,143
Hot Jobs: Project Manager, Business Analyst, Building Surveyor
8. Milton Keynes
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.7
Job Openings: 16,164
Median Base Salary: £28,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
Median Home Value: £301,938
Hot Jobs: Solutions Architect, Communications Manager, HR Manager
9. Bolton
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.7
Job Openings: 11,233
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £159,690
Hot Jobs: Net Developer, Account Assistant, IT Business Analyst
10. Oxford
Glassdoor City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings:18,649
Median Base Salary: £30,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £489,037
Hot Jobs: Software Engineer, Chef, Banker
11. Coventry
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 14,891
Median Base Salary: £27,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
Median Home Value: £197,170
Hot Jobs: Quality Engineer, Site Manager, Systems Engineer
12. Derby
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 12,807
Median Base Salary: £25,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £196,993
Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Production Operator, Truck Driver
13. Nottingham
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 14,698
Median Base Salary: £23,500
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £191,555
Hot Jobs: Teacher, Recruitment Consultant, Project Manager
14. Birmingham
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 47,551
Median Base Salary: £24,864
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £189,220
Hot Jobs: Sales Executive, Customer Service Advisor, Design Engineer
15. Ipswich
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 11,446
Median Base Salary: £24,985
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £264,105
Hot Jobs: Quantity Surveyor, Chef, Service Advisor
16. Belfast
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 11,775
Median Base Salary: £21,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £157,580
Hot Jobs: Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Restaurant Manager
17. Southampton
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6
Job Openings: 19,319
Median Base Salary: £26,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £285,088
Hot Jobs: Senior Recruitment Consultant, Administrator, Receptionist
18. Aberdeen
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 4,548
Median Base Salary: £32,500
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
Median Home Value: £223,625
Hot Jobs: Civil Engineer, Language Teacher, Delivery Driver
19. Luton
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 9,786
Median Base Salary: £29,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £260,288
Hot Jobs: Finance Manager, Account Manager, Property Manager
20. Dundee
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 4,992
Median Base Salary: £20,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
Median Home Value: £156,016
Hot Jobs: Field Sales, Customer Service Advisor, Language Teacher
21. Newcastle Upon Tyne
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 13,734
Median Base Salary: £22,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £204,556
Hot Jobs: Production Operator, Project Manager, Store Manager
22. Bristol
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 37,367
Median Base Salary: £25,598
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
Median Home Value: £314,274
Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Web Developer, Teacher
23. Blackpool
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 2,013
Median Base Salary: £18,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
Median Home Value: £118,681
Hot Jobs: Registered Nurse, Chef, Teaching Assistant
24. Hull
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5
Job Openings: 2,102
Median Base Salary: £22,500
Job Satisfaction Rating: 2.9
Median Home Value: £134,430
Hot Jobs: Site Manager, Electrician, Science Teacher
25. Peterborough
Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.4
Job Openings: 8,944
Median Base Salary: £22,060
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
Median Home Value: £219,824
Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Site Manager, Recruitment Consultant
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