Leeds enjoys faster growth than London

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Posted on Monday 24th July 2017, by James Howell.

According to a new report, the Yorkshire city of Leeds has enjoyed quicker economic growth than London and creates more jobs.

A new report published by the law firm Irwin Mitchell, in association with the economic think-tank Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), highlights Leeds as a rapidly growing economy. The UK Powerhouse report indicates Leeds's economy has grown by 8% since 2014 which outstrips London's 6.9% during the same period, however the West Yorkshire city still lags behind Manchester with 9.1%.

More importantly for graduates, the research revealed job growth in Leeds managed to surpass both London and Manchester at 9.5%. The city has experienced a continued growth in its financial sectors including areas like Banking, Insurance and Finance and the city now employs 94,300 people in these sectors - 40% growth between 2012 and 2015.

graduatejobs.com's own research shows some of the most popular graduate careers available in Leeds are Management and Sales. Head of Business Legal Services at Irwin Mitchell, Andrew Walker, says Leeds also boasts a diverse selection of different industries which contribute to this thriving economy.

"The results of this study are on the whole encouraging, particularly as it shows that Leeds is benefitting from a number of high growth industries including health care and medical technologies, edtech and game development," he told The Yorkshire Post.

Andrew says theses industries must also be allowed to grow.

"The city is home to large digital companies such as NHS Digital, Rockstar Games, and houses Sky's Betting, Gaming, and Technology enterprises and in order to make sure the city continues to thrive, it's crucial that these industries are allowed to flourish."

Image credit: Olu Eletu