UK Big Cities Outside London Underperform on Higher-Paid Jobs
A Centre for Cities analysis finds that seven of Britain's ten biggest cities have fewer higher-paid jobs per resident than the national level, with London dominating the country's top-paying urban employment. The think tank says closing the gap would add 100,000 higher-paid jobs nationwide.
Britain's big cities outside London are not generating enough higher-paid jobs, according to a Centre for Cities blog post published on 20 October 2026. Higher-paid jobs, defined as those paying in the top 20 per cent nationally and concentrated in tradable industries such as tech, finance and communication, are described as the foundation of a local economy because they create demand for the wider goods and services sector.
The analysis shows London dominates: the capital holds 52 per cent of urban Britain's higher-paid jobs with 30 per cent of its urban population. The next nine big cities, including Manchester and Birmingham, hold the same population share but only 21 per cent of higher-paid jobs. Seven of the ten biggest cities fall below the national level of higher-paid jobs per resident.
Centre for Cities attributes the gap to skills and transport. In London, six per cent of residents have no formal qualifications, compared with 9 per cent in Manchester and 11 per cent in Birmingham, while transport connectivity scores also lag well behind the capital. The think tank says mayoral-led bus franchising and skills programmes, such as those in Greater Manchester, are improving connectivity and access to qualifications.
For Filipino workers and families in the UK, the findings suggest, as an inference, that higher-paid opportunities remain concentrated in London, which may influence decisions on where to settle or seek career progression for Filipinos living in or moving to cities such as Manchester or Birmingham. The upcoming 'rewiring the state' White Paper is expected to shape the next stage of devolution aimed at helping underperforming big cities catch up.
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- In the UK, 73 per cent of higher-paid jobs are located in cities, and cities provided nine in every 10 new higher-paid jobs over the last decade, according to Centre for Cities.
- London accounts for 30 per cent of Britain's urban population but 52 per cent of its higher-paid jobs, while the next nine big cities hold 30 per cent of the population but only 21 per cent of higher-paid jobs.
- Seven of Britain's ten biggest cities have fewer higher-paid jobs per 100 residents than the national level; if they all reached the national average, Britain would gain 100,000 higher-paid jobs.
- London outperforms other big cities on qualifications and transport: 60 per cent of Londoners hold a higher-level qualification versus 44 per cent in Manchester and 40 per cent in Birmingham, and London's average transport connectivity score is 80/100 versus 68 in Manchester and 66 in Birmingham.
Official sources
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