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.
Manchester has been named the best city in the UK for full-time office workers / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Pexels)
And according to the study’s findings, Manchester has earned itself the new title of being the best UK city for office workers.
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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.
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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
Top 10 UK Cities for Office Workers / Credit: Business Name Generator
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.
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.
Manchester Airport releases statement after customer data stolen in ‘targeted’ cyber security attack
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has released a formal statement after data was stolen from 8.7 million customers in a ‘targeted’ cyber security attack yesterday.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – which operates Manchester Airport, Stansted, and East Midlands Airport – said the cyber security incident happened at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday 27 August), and that the data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.
The data that was stolen related to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport WiFi sign-ups, MAG stated.
It was initially confirmed that the system the hackers accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details, however, and that all other regular airport operations and customer parking continued uninterrupted.
Manchester Airport has now released a formal statement to reassure customers that they are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’.
The statement reads: “Manchester Airport Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party.
“A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities, and at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”
MAG insisted that the incident had not resulted in any ‘operational disruption’, adding: “Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.
“Neither MAG nor the system accessed hold customers’ bank or payment details. The data that has been accessed includes customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.
“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused.”
Featured Image – MAG
Business
Workers at major Manchester city centre hotel to strike this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Workers at one of the most prominent hotels in Manchester city centre are set to strike this bank holiday weekend.
Workers at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its bar venue The Refuge, who are members of the union Unite, will take 24 hours of strike action on Saturday (29 August) in what is said to be a ‘long-running dispute’ over union busting.
The strike day chosen by the workers is the second day of this year’s Manchester Village Pride, and is historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer.
This is because Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the Pride Parade route, and for several years has been a very popular location for people attending the festival, and even runs a number of Pride events itself.
Unite says that for months now, workers at the Kimpton Clocktower – which is owned by InterContinental Hotels Group UK (IHG) – have been asking for formal union recognition to improve conditions after raising several issues with management, but IHG UK has refused this and instead ‘targeted’ the union for its actions.
Workers at a major Manchester city centre hotel are set to strike this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Rebecca Hope Photography (Supplied)
Previous strikes have already taken place this summer, apparently causing ‘financial hits’ to the business in the process – with the bar being forced to close early at several events as there were not enough staff to cover them.
“A strike on Kimpton’s most profitable day is entirely of its own making,” commented Unite regional officer, Alison Treacher. “Throughout this dispute, Kimpton Clocktower management have treated its loyal workforce with contempt and our members have shown they will not stand for it.
“There is still time to avoid this highly disruptive strike action, but that relies on IHG changing tack by listening to its members and giving them the union recognition they have long been calling for.”
This dispute is said to be the first ever hospitality strike in the North West.
Unite is currently running a petition demanding that IHG UK stop targeting union activists, recognise the Kimpton workers rights to have their grievance heard collectively, and support their union recognition campaign.
Emily Sergeant -
19th December 2023 
