- Chesterfield found to have the highest number of construction jobs per 100,000 people in the UK
- Bath and Blackburn rank second and third respectively
- London places at the bottom of the list with the lowest number of construction jobs relative to the population
Construction jobs play a crucial role in driving the UK’s economic growth, with approximately 3.1 million employees working in the sector, accounting for 9% of the country’s workforce.
New research, conducted by Integrated Fencing has uncovered which UK cities have the most demand for construction workers by analysing the number of jobs listed on Indeed and weighting that figure against the population, calculating the number of roles per 100,000 people in each location.
Top 10 UK cities with the most construction jobs per 100k
| Rank | City | Job count | Construction Jobs per 100k |
| 1 | Chesterfield | 1,500 | 1,434.03 |
| 2 | Bath | 1,260 | 1,247.52 |
| 3 | Blackburn | 1,500 | 999.80 |
| 4 | Harrogate | 1,394 | 868.54 |
| 5 | Oxford | 1,245 | 788.47 |
| 6 | Reading | 1,296 | 746.11 |
| 7 | Bedford | 1,296 | 740.99 |
| 8 | Preston | 870 | 591.43 |
| 9 | Isle of Wight | 795 | 559.86 |
| 10 | Derby | 1,410 | 540.85 |
The data shows that Chesterfield has the highest demand for construction jobs when weighing the figures against its population, offering 1,500 jobs, equating to 1,434.03 jobs per 100,000 people.
Bath follows in second place, with 1,260 construction jobs, translating to 1,247.52 jobs per 100,000 residents.
Third place goes to Blackburn, with 1,500 construction jobs for its 150,030 residents, equating to 999.80 jobs for every 100,000th person.
Harrogate takes fourth position, with the North Yorkshire town having 1,394 listed construction jobs, which works out at 868.54 when weighted against the population.
Rounding out the top five with 1,245 construction roles, equating to 788.47 roles per 100,000 people, is Oxford.
Top 10 UK cities with the least construction jobs per 100k
| Rank | City | Job count | Construction Jobs per 100k |
| 1 | London | 5,000 | 55.79 |
| 2 | Swansea | 145 | 58.66 |
| 3 | Kingston upon Hull | 220 | 84.94 |
| 4 | Dundee | 144 | 97.16 |
| 5 | Plymouth | 262 | 99.17 |
| 6 | Carlisle | 112 | 103.32 |
| 7 | Edinburgh | 552 | 104.62 |
| 8 | Bournemouth | 420 | 105.63 |
| 9 | Birmingham | 1,318 | 115.56 |
| 10 | Dover | 145 | 121.64 |
At the other end of the spectrum, despite being the largest city in the UK, London has the lowest number of construction jobs per 100,000, with just 55.79.
Swansea follows closely with just 58.66 roles per 100,000 of its residents and just 145 overall listed on Indeed in the construction sector.
Ranking next is Hull, with the analysis finding 220 relevant jobs which works out at 84.94 for every 100,000th person in the East Yorkshire city.
Dundee places fourth and is the lowest-ranked Scottish city on the list, having just 144 construction roles, meaning there are 97.16 per 100,000 people.
Plymouth completes the bottom five cities, with the analysis finding 262 construction jobs listed in the area, equating to 99.17 when weighted against the population.
Commenting on the findings, Hywel Davies, construction director and co-owner of Integrated Fencing said: “It’s interesting to see just how stark the differences are between the amount of construction opportunities in each UK city.
“Larger locations may have more roles being advertised, but because of their big populations its naturally a more competitive market.
“Several smaller cities rank in the top 10 have, perhaps benefitting from their close proximity to bigger cities, increasing the number of opportunities for construction workers.
“Chesterfield, for example, lies near Sheffield and Derby meaning those living in the area have access to construction jobs in those larger cities close by.”