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Work in Hampshire
About Hampshire
Hampshire is England’s third largest shire county in population terms. It has urban concentrations in the north east (Basingstoke, Farnborough and Aldershot) and south (the waterfront cities of Southampton and Portsmouth) and, in the centre, the historic cathedral city of Winchester. The county’s natural attractions (South Downs, New Forest National Park, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, wildlife, coastline and beaches) and rich cultural heritage (historic towns, villages and buildings, archaeological sites, port history, and bustling market towns (eg Petersfield, Andover, Alton, Romsey and Lymington), make Hampshire a popular destination for tourists and day visitors.
The county also has a strong military tradition. There is a large naval base at Portsmouth; Aldershot is known as the home of the British army, while British aviation history was made at Farnborough’s Royal Aircraft Establishment, now developed into a business airport, a business park and venue for the biennial international airshow.
The county is strategically well placed in terms of proximity to major ports, airports, road networks and is less than an hour from London. Southampton International Airport provides services to 40 UK and European destinations and ferry services from Portsmouth connect Hampshire to France and Spain.
The economy
In common with other counties in the south-east region Hampshire is relatively affluent with a strong, diverse economy. In broad terms, according to the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) the south-east region economy is advanced, high cost, high income, broad based and service orientated. Business survival rates in Hampshire are higher than the regional and national averages, the county has low unemployment rates, and there are opportunities for further economic growth.
Major employment and retail centres include Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Fleet, Havant, Portsmouth, and Southampton.
Major employers
Hampshire’s economy is based on a mixture of traditional and new high technology industries. Major sectors include aerospace and aeronautical engineering, instrument engineering, mechanical engineering, pharmaceutical and medical, paper, printing and publishing, electronics and telecommunications, maritime and marine-related engineering, information and communications technology, financial and business services, tourism and leisure-related industries, agriculture and related industries.
- Bank note printing and security documents: De la rue (Basingstoke)
- Engineering and manufacturing: Hamble Aerostructures Ltd (Southampton), APW Electronics Ltd (Eastleigh), AVX Ltd (Fleet), BAE Systems plc (Farnborough), Eaton Aerospace (Fareham), Ford Motor Company (Southampton), GKN Aerospace Services Ltd (Eastleigh), Linde Material Handling UK Ltd (Basingstoke), Pall Europe Ltd (Portsmouth), Serco Group plc (Hook), Smiths Aerospace Mechanical Systems (Southampton), Stannah Lift Holdings Ltd (Andover). Manufacture of beauty and hair products: Estee Lauder (Fareham), Alberto-Culver (Basingstoke), Wella (Basingstoke)
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Civil engineering and construction: Dean & Dyball Construction Ltd (Ringwood), McAlpine Capital Projects Ltd (Fleet), Raymond Brown Ltd (Ringwood), Scott Wilson Holdings Ltd (Basingstoke), Trant Construction (Southampton), Warings Construction Group Holdings Ltd (Portsmouth)
- Marine and shipbuilding : Raymarine plc (Portsmouth), Marina Developments Ltd (Southampton)
- Space technology : EADS Astrium (Portsmouth)
- Paper manufacture: Arjo Wiggins Fine Papers (Basingstoke)
- IT and communications: IBM United Kingdom Ltd (Portsmouth), Motorola Ltd (Basingstoke), CSC Computer Sciences Ltd (Aldershot), Roke Manor Research Ltd (part of Siemens) (Romsey), Sony Broadcast and Professional Europe (Basingstoke)
- Finance & business services : HSBC Bank plc (Southampton), Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd (Andover), Skandia Life (Assurance) Holdings Ltd (Southampton), Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (UK) Ltd (Basingstoke), Winterthur Life UK Ltd (Basingstoke), Zurich Holdings (UK) Ltd (Portsmouth)
- Pharmaceuticals: Eli Lilly Holdings Ltd (Basingstoke), Parke Davis & Co Ltd (Pfizer) (Southampton), Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc (Basingstoke), Wyeth Research (Havant)
Facilities management services: Sodexo Defence Services (Aldershot) –services to Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Opportunities include: catering managers, chefs and dietitians, landscape gardeners, receptionists and marketing specialists, project and site managers, bio-hygienists and trainers, hospitality specialists, computer programmers, and buyers. - Logistics: eg Southampton Logistics, Import Services, Chalcroft Logistics – all Southampton-based
- Retail and leisure: B & Q plc (Eastleigh). Fat Face Ltd (Havant), Tesco Stores (Southampton)
- Science parks: University of Southampton Science Park and Langstone Technology Park
In the public sector the county council, the two unitary authorities, a range of educational institutions, and the healthcare trusts are also major employers.
Higher education institutions within the county include the University of Southampton , the University of Portsmouth, Southampton Solent University , University of Winchester and Wessex Institute
