The city of Leeds is at the heart of the Leeds City Region which has a GVA of £46 billion and a population of almost 3 million with more than 25% of these people living in the city itself. There are 40,000 people working in the retail sector at present though 75% of these individuals work outside the city centre. Approximately £2.5 billion worth of property development has taken place in Leeds since 2000. More than 130,000 people work in the city centre with Leeds also known for its tourism.

10: Jet2.com

This is a successful low-cost airline that carries more than 3 million people a year on its fleet of 38 planes to 54 different destinations. Its main base is at Leeds Bradford Airport and it currently has more than 1,500 employees. Although the airline may not seem glamorous, the locations where you will fly to certainly are.

9: Northern Gas Networks Limited

This company distributes gas to homes all across Yorkshire, a total of 2.6 million customers. There are less than 100 employees at the company but they all enjoy a challenging job and close-knit working relationship with one another. The small size of the company fosters a family atmosphere.

8: Rockstar Leeds

This is a main branch of the famous Rockstar video game developer. They are especially well known for their work on several Grand Theft Auto games. This is a job that so-called computer geeks would love. Indeed, working at Rockstar is the stuff dreams are made of for video game fanatics.

7: First Direct

This is a retail bank that is phone and internet based. It is part of HSBC bank and has more than 1 million customers. Stourton in Leeds is one of its two national call centres. It was formed in October 1989 and has never been closed for a single day since. It is a job for those who are dedicated to their work with several opportunities for advancement available.

6: Leeds Brewery

This is an independent brewery that has been open since June 2007. It produces a staggering 80,000 pints of ale, mild and bitter per week. The Brewery is famous for brewing a different seasonal beer every month. It is a job that takes place in a fun environment.

5: Morrish Solicitors LLP

This is a law firm with its headquarters in Leeds. It has four offices and 40 attorneys and over 100 staff at present. It is a firm that offers aspiring attorneys the chance to get into the national spotlight if they choose because it has handled a number of famous cases. Recently, the firm won damages worth more than £3 million for a 15 year old boy who was badly hurt in a road accident.

4: Carlsberg Group

This is one of the most famous brewers in the world and it has an office in Leeds. It employs approximately 45,000 people and is the world’s fourth largest brewery. With dozens of beers to be brewed, this is the ideal job for someone interested in the brewery industry.

3: Northern Foods

This is a food manufacturer with almost 10,000 employees and an annual revenue of nearly £1 billion. It was recently bought by Ranjit Boparan and continues to make famous foods such as Goodfella’s Pizza and Donegal Catch.

2: Capita Group

This is a recruitment company with a major base in Leeds. It has more than 35,000 employees and an annual revenue of over £2.7 billion. Although there have been recent complaints about employees not getting pay rises, the average Capita employee still earns nearly £30,000 a year.

1: ASDA

This is now a subsidiary of Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer. ASDA controls almost 17% of the UK grocery market, earning almost £700 million a year. There are more than 500 ASDA stores in the UK and it hires some 140,000 employees. ASDA is famous for its treatment of employees and regularly appears on prominent newspaper lists as one of the UK’s best companies to work for.

Leeds is a thriving city in the retail sector and it shows through all of the global companies that have set up large offices here. This is a city that is growing and will continue to do so despite the recession. When better times return, Leeds may well become the best city in the UK to work in.