Indeed Reveals the UK’s Biggest Job Hotspots

Where you live could make a significant difference to the types of jobs on offer, with new Indeed data revealing that Britain’s biggest cities have developed distinct hiring specialisms.
Analysis of UK job postings on Indeed between January and July 2026 reveals London remains the country’s biggest hiring centre by a considerable margin, accounting for 13.1% of all UK job postings.
Manchester ranks second, accounting for 2.1%, followed by Birmingham (1.7%), Bristol (1.7%) and Glasgow (1.5%).
But looking beyond the overall volume of jobs reveals a much more varied picture. Indeed’s analysis shows that each of the UK’s 10 biggest hiring cities has occupations in which it posts considerably more heavily than its peers – creating distinct pockets of opportunity across the country.
The data also reveals how AI is reshaping different parts of the jobs market at very different speeds, with more than half of postings in some technology occupations now identified as AI-related.
London Leads UK Hiring – But Opportunity Spreads Across the Country
“London’s scale is hard to argue with, with almost one in eight UK postings in the capital. But that still leaves the large majority of hiring happening elsewhere. Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol together account for more than five per cent of UK postings, and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds are close behind. The choice for jobseekers isn’t London or nothing, and employers are competing for talent in far more places than the capital” said Matthew Burney, Senior Strategic Advisor at Indeed.
UK’s Top 10 Cities for Job Postings
Share of all UK job postings on Indeed, January–July 2026
London – 13.1%
Manchester – 2.1%
Birmingham – 1.7%
Bristol – 1.7%
Glasgow – 1.5%
Edinburgh – 1.3%
Leeds – 1.3%
Liverpool – 1%
Nottingham – 0.8%
Belfast – 0.8%
img-599ffe71-e584-4f33-bea9-2d79b1fa25b8.png

Food Service and Management Dominate Hiring Across the UK
Across Britain as a whole, food preparation and service is the largest occupation by postings, accounting for 13.1% of classified postings, followed by management (10.5%), personal care and home health (6.3%), administrative assistance (5.6%) and sales and cleaning and sanitation (both 5.4%).
Matthew Burney, Senior Strategic Advisor at Indeed said, “hospitality and management are the backbone of hiring in every big city we looked at. It’s easy to focus on the newer, higher-profile roles, but the jobs that keep the country running are still where most of the demand sits.”
UK’s Top 10 Occupations by Job Postings
Share of classified UK job postings, January–July 2026
Food Preparation & Service – 13.1%
Management – 10.5%
Personal Care & Home Health – 6.3%
Administrative Assistance – 5.6%
Sales – 5.5%
Cleaning & Sanitation – 5.4%
Installation & Maintenance – 4.8%
Education & Instruction – 4.7%
Retail – 4.1%
Driving – 3.4%
img-4040198e-a016-494d-a271-c7c12199f852.png
The findings show a clear common thread across Britain’s biggest hiring cities, with management and food preparation and service consistently accounting for the largest shares of postings. Beyond these two dominant occupations, however, local differences start to emerge. Software development makes the top five in London and Manchester, installation and maintenance features in Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow, while personal care and home health makes the top five in Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham.
AI Is Reshaping Some Occupations Faster Than Others
Alongside significant regional differences, Indeed’s data shows a growing divide in how prominently AI features across different occupations.
“A year ago, AI skills were still largely associated with specialist data and software roles. Now, around half of postings in these areas mention AI, while we’re also seeing demand spread rapidly into fields such as marketing and media. It’s a clear sign that AI is moving beyond the tech sector and becoming a skill employers increasingly value across a much broader range of roles” said Matthew Burney, Senior Strategic Advisor at Indeed.
In July 2026, 51.5% of data & analytics postings were identified as AI-related, up from 40.8% in July 2025. Software development was close behind at 50.4%, rising sharply from 32.4% a year earlier.
AI-related postings also accounted for 33.2% of IT systems & solutions roles, 30.3% of scientific research & development roles and 27.7% of marketing roles.
Some of the fastest increases have occurred outside the occupations traditionally most closely associated with AI. The share of marketing postings identified as AI-related rose from 14.0% to 27.7% over the year, while media & communications increased from 11.2% to 24.8%.
Occupations With the Highest Share of AI-Related Job Postings
Share of UK occupation postings identified as AI-related, July 2026
Data & Analytics – 51.5%
Software Development – 50.4%
IT Systems & Solutions – 33.2%
Scientific Research & Development – 30.3%
Marketing – 27.7%
Media & Communications – 24.8%
Industrial Engineering – 20.0%
IT Infrastructure, Operations & Support – 19.8%
Banking & Finance – 19.1%
Arts & Entertainment – 17.2%
The biggest percentage-point increase among these occupations was recorded in software development, where the share of AI-related postings rose 18 percentage points year-on-year. Marketing and media & communications both increased by approximately 13.7 percentage points, while IT systems & solutions rose by 12.6 percentage points.