5 reasons why Birmingham is a great place to work

We may not be that attractive when it comes to our dialect and “yam yam” accent, but Birmingham has recently been named the 3rd best UK city to work in. Workers rated their work-life balance and career happiness in a survey from business psychologists OPP and we were only beaten by Liverpool and Norwich. Just why is Birmingham a great place to work? 

1) The commute and house prices aren’t too shabby…

On average, a London commuter can pay up to £4,000 a year for their journey to work, with £3,000 being spent on rail fare and £1,000 on parking. However, up here in the West Midlands, an average journey from commuter belt towns like Stourbridge and Wolverhampton cost between £1,000-£1,900 a year. In a survey conducted by TomTom, Birmingham is one of the least congested cities in the UK and it’s set to become even easier to be a local commuter with the city’s £128m tram system opening this summer. It’s actually cheaper to live in Birmingham than to live and commute in a nearby town with the average house price being £162,000 compared to £175,000 on homes 40 minutes away. 

2) The locals are lovely…

As we always seem to be the butt of all jokes, we’ve all learnt to deal with it and laugh along with our stereotypes and guess what? It works, as we’re a right laugh! We are the birthplace of a whole range of comedians after all, including Frank Skinner. One of the best things about Birmingham is how it’s a major city with a range of opportunities, but small enough to remain super friendly and down to earth. If you work with a Brummie, you ought to consider yourself lucky because your office is probably anything but boring!

3) We’re creative and support start-up companies and independents…

Oh those independent places just keep popping up in this city and it’s because we can’t get enough of them! Us Brummies love supporting the underdogs and start-up companies are always welcome here with Birmingham office space being around £25 per square foot on average. It’s no surprise that we’re becoming a start-up hub either, with Birmingham seeing 13,000 companies set up in the city during 2014/15. Birmingham is now filling up with quirky independent stores selling everything from vinyl and vintage treasures to whiskey and cheese. 

4) We love our food and drink…

Work in Birmingham and you won’t struggle to find a whole range of cafés and restaurants for you to head to with your colleagues in your lunch break, with the likes of Brindleyplace, Grand Central and New Street packed to the brim with food you will love. We love a good celebration here too, so don’t be surprised when you end up in one of our many bars in Digbeth and Broad Street with your colleagues after work on a Friday!

5) We’re not slowing down any time soon…

After all, we are the second biggest UK city, right? HSBC will soon be relocating their retail banking headquarters to Birmingham and with High Speed 2 arriving in town soon, this city is on the up and becoming a more exciting place to work every day.

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