These Are The UK’s Best Cities For Job Satisfaction

London has been named the UK's best city for job satisfaction, with Brighton, Bristol and Oxford close behind.

Glassdoor, the website where current and former employees anonymously rate companies, analysed more than 300,000 reviews posted between January 2021 and February 2022. Companies in London scored an average job satisfaction rating of 3.92 out of 5: a notch above the national average of 3.82.

Brighton, Bristol and Oxford all scored an average job satisfaction rating of 3.89, while Manchester scored an average of 3.88. Manchester also scored the highest rating for compensation and benefits – i.e. salary – with an average score of 3.55 out of 5.

Encouragingly, Glassdoor's resident economist Lauren Thomas said the results point to employees having an opportunity to negotiate better packages from their employers.

"Our data shows that workers across the UK want more from their employers – and companies need to pay attention," she said. "Continued low employment rates, sky-high job vacancies and increasing numbers of economically inactive people means hiring and retaining talent will remain tough in 2022."

Brighton was named the best city for diversity and inclusion with an average rating of 4.01 out of 5. London (3.95), Bristol (3.93) and Leeds (3.93) performed well in this area, too.

Brighton also scored the highest rating for work-life balance, 3.74 out of 5, but other cities rated a little more disappointingly in this respect. In Liverpool and Nottingham, the average score for work-life balance was just 3.55. In London, it was 3.69 and in Manchester it was 3.68.

“Companies across the country are working hard to ensure employees feel part of a diverse and inclusive workplace culture that offers a sense of belonging, but there is still room for improvement across pay, senior leadership and career opportunities," added Glassdoor's Lauren Thomas.

"Job seekers want flexibility, community - and good parking! Focusing on employee engagement can help create better workplace culture, reduce staff turnover, increase productivity and provide greater job satisfaction."