Let’s get down to business
Manchester’s economy thrives on its diversified growth sectors. Digital and creative industries, professional services, advanced manufacturing. And all of this is supported by the homegrown and relocating talent pool.
Manchester has the largest fintech sector in Europe worth £5bn GVA per year, and our wider tech sector is booming. Ours is a global tech city, as confirmed by Cushman and Wakefield, thanks to our strengths in fintech, AI, and data science. In 2023, DCMS data showed Manchester as the fastest growing tech hub in the north and the biggest outside London and the South East.
Further support for Manchester’s tech ecosystem comes from innovation hubs, such as The Exchange at the Bonded Warehouse and the Tech Incubator on Oxford Road. Manchester City Council set up the state-of-the-art Digital Security Hub (DiSH) in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, Plexal, the University of Manchester and Lancaster University. DiSH will drive innovation and growth in digital and cyber security sectors, support 500 start-ups and create over 1,000 jobs. And the former Campfield market buildings are being developed into a tech, media, and creative industries hub, with 83,000 sq. ft of workspace and 1,600 jobs over the next 15 years.
And the city continues to attract major employers, with new investments like the civil service hub at First Street, and prominent companies like Roku and Hewlett Packard Enterprise at Circle Square on the Oxford Road Corridor. Circle Square 3 is well underway, with its promise of 267,000 sq ft of cutting-edge work-space.
Over in the civic quarter, the £400m St Michael’s development – featuring BREEAM outstanding commercial space, a 5-star hotel, rooftop terrace restaurant and new public spaces – will create 1,800 jobs and attract high-profile companies. It has already secured high profile professional services companies including S&P Global Inc, Pinsent Masons and Arm. The deal with Arm is the largest letting to-date, with the global giant tech company set to occupy floors three, four and five at No.1 St Michael's in a move that forms part of the firm's strategic plans for growth in the North. St Michael’s complements the ongoing redevelopment of the Town Hall and Albert Square. The momentum here follows the successful transformation of St. Peter’s Square, both its public space and as a location for professional services companies, including Starling Bank, Santander, HSBC and Allianz.
We have the talent and skills to enhance our resident businesses right here. Our schools, higher education and universities are at the very top of their game, producing high calibre employees for a whole range of roles. Here in Manchester, we have one of the largest student populations in Europe. We’re confident you’ll find the talent you’re looking for right on your doorstep.
Image: Blossom Agency
MANCHESTER IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS. OUR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS, NEW INVESTMENTS AND WEALTH OF TALENT IS CREATING A PROSPEROUS, EXCITING FUTURE FOR THE CITY CENTRE.
