Business
Manchester has been named the best city in the UK for full-time office workers
Apparently, two-thirds of CEOs predict UK workers will fully return to the office by 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
19th December 2023 
Manchester has been named the best city in the UK for anyone who works a full week in an office, a new study has revealed.
By now, a chunk of Brits may be very used to working from home or the remote working lifestyle, but according to new research by KPMG, two-thirds (63%) of CEOs in the UK predict workers will return to the office full-time by 2026.
But, which cities across the country are best for a five-day office week?
Well, in a bid to get to the bottom of this, online platform Business Name Generator has conducted a new study analysing 30 cities in the UK, and has looked at factors such as commute times and costs, the number of people who work mainly from home, the cost of a coffee, and the number of on-site jobs currently available in each city, to find out which one reigns supreme.
And according to the study’s findings, Manchester has earned itself the new title of being the best UK city for office workers.
The study found out that our city currently has 432 office-based vacancies per 10,000 people on offer, which is the most of any city analysed, while a third (32%) of Manchester residents work mostly from home, which means the majority of people are heading into the office in some capacity.
On the flip side though, because of this, commute times into Manchester city centre are relatively high, at 39 minutes for a one-way journey, and a monthly travel pass will also set workers back anywhere from £80 – which is the third-highest amount of any UK city in the study.
Top 10 UK Cities for Office Workers
| Rank | City | Avg. cost of a coffee | Avg. commute times (mins) | Avg. commute costs | % of people that work from home | No. of on-site jobs per 10,000 people |
| 1 | Manchester | £3.34 | 39 | £80 | 32% | 432 |
| 2 | Bradford | £2.28 | 44 | £57 | 25% | 308 |
| 3 | Milton Keynes | £3.04 | 23 | £63 | 26% | 163 |
| 4 | Southampton | £2.94 | 28 | £60 | 26% | 185 |
| 5 | Stoke-on-Trent | £2.97 | 21 | £65 | 15% | 69 |
| 6 | Preston | £3.03 | 26 | £52 | 25% | 133 |
| 7 | Hull | £2.55 | 29 | £56 | 13% | 77 |
| 8 | Coventry | £2.57 | 29 | £50 | 26% | 143 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | £3.33 | 29 | £60 | 20% | 120 |
| 10 | Plymouth | £3.13 | 26 | £56 | 21% | 81 |
In second place on the top 10 list is Bradford, with 308 on-site jobs per 10,000 people being advertised in the northern city, while Milton Keynes has come in third place.
But what about on the other end of the spectrum then? Which UK city has claimed the less-than-coveted title of being accommodating to office workers? And what makes it so unfavourable?
Perhaps it’s no shock that London has found itself at the bottom.
Read more:
- Some of Manchester’s best city centre office spaces have just become available
- 91% of UK trial companies to continue four-day work week after ‘major breakthrough’
- Chanel fashion show in Manchester brought a staggering £8 million boost to the city
The study found that the capital is worst city in the UK for spending five days a week in the office, with a travel pass costing an average of £181 per month, and a one-way journey to work taking 46 mins on average.
Featured Image – Israel Andrade (via Unsplash)
