The ongoing pandemic has heavily impacted the events industry over the past 12 months. But with venues now back up and running, which UK city has the most event job prospects available right now?
Following a staggering 355% increase in Google searches for the term “event jobs near me” in the last six months¹, a new study from events specialists AYRE Event Solutions reveals the top ten event job hotspots in the UK² by analysing the percentage of total available job vacancies that are within the events industry.
The results reveal the top ten UK cities with the highest percentage3 of events related jobs are :
- Bath – 13%
- London – 12%
- Manchester – 11%
- Liverpool – 11%
- Brighton – 11%
- Chester – 11%
- Edinburgh – 10%
- York – 9%
- Birmingham – 9%
- Leeds – 9%
The new research indicates that Bath, the largest city in the county of Somerset, is the place to be if you want a career in the events industry, with 13% of all jobs in that location being event related. Some of the event related jobs available in Bath include an event chef, an event executive and an events coordinator.The average salary of an event job in Bath is £30,127, which is 5% higher than the county average salary (£28,829).
Taking the second spot is London, with 12% of the jobs in this location being event related. Following a 316% increase in people searching for “event jobs London”, the capital is currently advertising 24,198 event related jobs. However, with the average London salary standing at over £43,000, event jobs in the capital are 10% lower than the average city salary.
The Northern England cities of Liverpool and Manchester also make it into the top ten list, with 11% of jobs in both Manchester and Liverpool being event related. With a high percentage of event related jobs in these cities, the figures highlight the strong arts and entertainment culture within the North of England.
Compared to its total number of jobs (7,793), event jobs in the Scottish city of Edinburgh make up 10% of overall vacancies. With the relevant qualifications and a few years of experience, you can expect to earn on average over £34,000 in an event job based in Edinburgh. From August 2021 to August 2022, there are 636 events and festivals being held in Edinburgh⁴, so it’s no surprise that there is a demand for event employees.
Located in the heart of Northern England, York is a city famous for its viking and roman roots, and hosts events such as the Jorvik Viking Festival and the Medieval Makers family event⁵. Furthermore, 9% of the jobs currently available in York are event related, and have an average salary of £29,100.
The second largest city in the UK, Birmingham, has 211 events and festivals coming up between August 2021 and August 2022⁶. In light of this there are 1,849 event related jobs currently available in the city, compared to the 20,082 other jobs on the Birmingham market right now.
Leeds ranks tenth in the event job hotspots, with 9% of the total jobs available in the city being event related. The average salary of an event job in the Yorkshire city comes in at £33,188, and job opportunities include a marketing and events administrator, an event officer, and an event sales agent.
Managing director of AYRE, Chris Ayre commented on the study: “The events industry has been one of the most affected by the ongoing government restrictions. From wedding planners to festival organisers, people have had to find other ways of making an income, for some, this meant changing industries completely. But with restrictions now lifted for most events and festivals, it’s exciting to see the industry picking up again, and the increase of event jobs being advertised.
“Interestingly, Bath takes the top spot on the top ten list of event job hotspots, which highlights how the exciting arts and entertainment culture in the UK spreads further than London. There are thousands of events and festivals coming up in the next year, and I encourage people to explore the fun and diverse experiences the UK has to offer.
“For those who graduated from university this year and are on the lookout for a new and thrilling industry to be a part of, events could be for you, and these top ten cities are a great starting point for your event job search. The events industry has always been a great industry to be part of, and I truly believe now is the perfect time to start a career in it”
