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Work in Buckinghamshire
About Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is known for its enterprise culture with a higher than the national average number of new businesses starting up each year. The key areas of growth have been in financial and business services and there is a strong public services and health sector. Manufacturing continues to be an important sector for the county, employing more than one in ten workers.
The county falls within the Thames Valley region, an area known for its blue-chip technology, telecommunications and pharmaceutical companies and its high volume of SMEs and innovation companies. It is at the centre of the Oxford to Cambridge (O2C) Arc which aims to promote high technology growth, in the area between the two university towns. Buckinghamshire is enhancing its already strong economy by attracting even more high-tech companies.
Major towns and employment centres include Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Buckingham. Educational institutions within the county include The Open University (a major employer), the University of Buckingham, and Bucks New University. As a largely rural county Buckinghamshire also attracts tourists – to its attractive towns and villages, the historic county town of Buckingham, the Chiltern Hills (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), the Aylesbury Vale and the River Thames.
See the Buckinghamshire job searching page for useful links to major employers, job search agencies and business facing websites.
The economy
Buckinghamshire has been defined as the “entrepreneurial heart of Britain” with its higher than the national average rate of new business start-ups. Its economy is currently worth around £5.6 billion per annum with key growth in financial and business services. Manufacturing continues to be an important sector, employing more than 1 in 10 workers, while there is a strong public services and health sector.
Both Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes are major growth centres. For example, in Milton Keynes:
- there are 10,000 businesses
- 5 per cent are international and represent 10 per cent of employment
- over 80 per cent of employment is in services and around 11 per cent is in production
- just over 85 per cent are small businesses employing 20 people or fewer
The county is also home to the Silverstone motor racing circuit and Motorsport Academy, Stoke Mandeville Hospital with its famous Spinal Injuries Unit, and film-making centre Pinewood Shepperton.
Over recent years Buckinghamshire has enjoyed high employment and, as outlined in the Bucks Free Press, is considered likely to weather the recession better than some other parts of the country.
Buckinghamshire also anticipates a boost to the local economy in 2012 when Dorney Lake, part of Eton College, hosts events in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Major employers
International companies in Buckinghamshire include GE Healthcare, Citrix, Pinewood Studios, Volvo, McCormick, Martin Baker Aircraft, Ercol, and Goodrich Power Systems.
In the public sector major employers are the county’s local authorities a range of educational institutions and the healthcare trusts.
Higher education institutions within the county include Bucks New University and the University of Buckingham
There are useful links to major employers, job search agencies and business facing websites on the Buckinghamshire job searching page.
