Bolton has ranked the highest for job satisfaction in the country by one of the world’s largest job and recruitment websites.
The town topped the table in Glassdoor’s ’25 Best UK Towns & Cities to Work In’.
The list, which is now in its third year, found Bolton rated the highest for job satisfaction, matching Cambridge.
Glassdoor has more than 42 million reviews and insights from employees on more than 800,000 companies in 190 countries.
The report is compiled by comparing 50 of the most populated UK towns and cities with populations above 100,000 people.
Job satisfaction is based on at least 80 company reviews shared by employees on Glassdoor over the past year.
Bolton and Cambridge both shared an overall Glassdoor Job Satisfaction rating of 3.6 out of five, where five means ‘very satisfied’.
Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Ebrahim Adia, said: “These results show Bolton is firmly placed as one of the best places in the UK to live and work in.
“We are delighted to top the rankings for job satisfaction. Bolton has a diverse workforce and we work closely with employers to ensure that there are a variety of opportunities to meet the needs of our residents.”
The town was also once again ranked ninth best overall town or city to live in, retaining its spot from 2017. This ranking was determined by three factors: how easy it is to get a job; how affordable it is and employee satisfaction.
Bolton’s ranking eclipsed some of the country’s biggest urban centres such as Oxford, Leeds and Liverpool.
And the authority is working to attract more inward investment to continue to make Bolton a place where people choose to live and work.
Cllr Adia added: “Bolton has something that is quite distinctive – we have a strong retail, leisure and cultural mix. Investors have the choice about where to put their money and they are choosing Bolton.
“Just one success story is Logistics North – one of the largest and most successful developments of its kind in the north of England. When complete in 2019, the site is expected to create up to 7,000 jobs.
“We will continue to work with and grow our existing businesses as well as bringing in new ones.
“We are driving forward our £1bn masterplan to reshape the town centre. Our regeneration blueprint has already secured £250m private sector investment.
“We are also looking at the changing requirements of businesses and making sure we firmly establish Bolton as digital-friendly to meet the needs of employers, staff and residents.”
Iain Thomson, Head of Communications at Harworth Group – the developers behind Logistics North – added: “We’re not surprised at all by these fantastic results given what’s happened at Logistics North.
“In the past five years, 5,500 jobs have been created with leading employers including Amazon, Aldi, Whistl, Lidl and with investment into built space by the likes of M&G Real Estate and the Lancashire County Pension Fund.
“The reason for this is simple – Bolton has a great workforce and is well-connected to other parts of the UK. With its retail and cultural offer continually improving, this investment is bound to grow.”
A spokesperson for Bolton Regeneration Limited, the private consortium planning to redevelop the Crompton Place Shopping Centre, said: “Job creation and skills training are at the very heart of our ethos.
“Our plans for Bolton are centred on the retention and growth of a wide range of long-term employment opportunities and a work force skilled to match the changing requirements of employers.
“We are also focused on generating an environment that will not only ensure the retention of employment but attract new employers and employees to the town.”
