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Work in the UK

Illustration of a teashop
  • Each settlement in the UK provides services or resources for people.

  • These resources can help generate money for the settlement, which in turn creates jobs for people who live in or close to the area.

Illustration of a teashop

Watch: Find out about how people work in the UK

Learn more about how jobs vary in different parts of the UK.

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Working in cities

  • Cities are settlements containing many businesses where lots of money is made.

  • Many towns and cities grew during the Industrial Revolution, because lots of factories were built and people moved there from the countryside to work in them.

  • Northern England played an important part in the Industrial Revolution. The climate was ideal for the cotton industry. Ports such as Liverpool and Newcastle were ideal for importing and exporting goods so they grew. Major cities grew in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.

  • Today cities are important bases for the service industries and they still have factories for manufacturing.

Take a look below at the four capital cities across the UK in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:

Capital cities of the UK.
Image caption,
A map of the capital cities of the UK

Working outside of cities

As new machinery was invented, less people were needed to work in the factories and many left the cities.

Eventually, opportunities for work became available in other parts of the UK.

Over time, improved transport links meant that people could live in the outskirts of cities, but travel into them to work.

Here is a map of the in the UK below.

 A map of the counties of the UK
Figure caption,
A map of the counties of the UK
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What jobs people do

Depending on where people live in the UK, the jobs available can be very different.

The three main sectors of jobs which are available include:

  • Primary sector - includes jobs such as farming, fishing and forestry. These are mainly in the countryside.

  • Secondary sector - includes manufacturing of goods, such as textiles, aircraft, cars and trains.

  • Tertiary sector - includes services such as banking, tourism, education, health, transport and IT.

Take a look at the jobs on offer in Castle Combe in the Cotswolds.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, Flowers in a field, Background Castle Combe originally was a market town with lots of farmland. As well as looking after the land and animals, people also used wool from sheep to make cloth.
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Activities

Quiz: People at work

Match the county: People at work

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