Labour Market Information (LMI)

Find out about different careers, opportunities in the local job market and information on courses and apprenticeships.

Labour market information (LMI) includes information on employment trends; education and training options; and jobs, careers pathways and progression routes. LMI helps people make decisions about education, jobs and training.

On this page you’ll find information about employment, education and training in Swindon and Wiltshire and links to useful websites and resources.

Employment in Swindon and Wiltshire

There are currently 29,000 businesses in Swindon and Wiltshire. The types of businesses in Swindon and Wiltshire business base is comparable to England, apart from the agricultural sector which is overrepresented at 7% compared to 4% nationally.

Large employment sectors in the LEP area include retail and wholesale (16% of total employment), health (11%), manufacturing (9%) and professional, scientific and technical (9%). Within Swindon, the financial and insurance sector is an important employer whilst the primary and utility sector is important employer in Wiltshire.

The average wages per job in 2021 were 28.5k in Swindon and 25.8k in Wiltshire. An April 2023 analysis of job postings shows the median salary in Swindon was £31,900 (up 4.5% compared to April 2022) and £28,200 in Wilshire (up 9.3% compared to April 2022).

There has been substantial growth in the business base in broad sectors such as transport and storage (+51%), construction (+14%), property (+13%) and financial and insurance (+10%) which exceeds the level of growth experienced nationally.

Swindon and Wiltshire LEP has identified six key sectors where existing strengths lie and/or future growth can be anticipated. These sectors include professional business services, creative industries, life sciences, low carbon, advanced manufacturing and engineering and ICT/cyber security.

For more information, visit the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership website.

Find out about jobs

Explore careers - Find out what a job involves and if it's right for you. From jobs in administration and animal care, to transport and travel and tourism, the National Careers Service has detailed information on hundreds of careers. Each job profile includes information on average salaries, how to get into the role, the skills you’ll use, day-to-day tasks, progression in this role and current opportunities in your area.

iCould – Features over 1000 videos of people talking about their careers – explaining their job role, career path, and how different factors have shaped their direction.

Education and Training Choices

Get the Jump - Information on post-16 and post-18 education and training options from the National Careers Service. These include Apprenticeships, T Levels, Supported Internships, Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQs), Higher technical qualifications (HTQs), A levels and Higher education.

UCAS - Information on careers, apprenticeships and university to help you explore what routes are available and which one is right for you.

Work Wiltshire - A one-stop shop website containing a wide range of education, employment and skills information.

Local Education and Training Providers

Explore what’s on offer from some of our local education and training providers:

Information for Parents and Carers

Talking Futures - A parents' toolkit to help you have informed and constructive conversations with your child about the different training and education pathways.

Careerpilot - Alongside lots of useful information for young people on jobs and post-16 and post-18 options, Careerpilot has a parent zone to help you support your young person in making the right decision about study and work.