Career Coaching
in Cardiff

Employment Landscape

Job seekers in Cardiff can expect a nuanced market where real opportunity coexists with visible tension. The financial and professional services sector, especially FinTech and insurance, is seeing tangible growth—FinTech investment swelled from £13 million to £70 million within a year, and financial services contribute over £6.1 billion to the Welsh economy. Meanwhile, public sector hiring is set to expand as new Civil Service roles are relocated to Cardiff, boosting local employment prospects. Infrastructure and regeneration projects such as the Atlantic Wharf arena and the Crossrail transport improvements are generating roles in construction, events, hospitality, and logistics. On the other hand, the higher education sector is contracting, with Cardiff University cutting nearly 400 academic positions and Cardiff Metropolitan preparing further job reductions. Industrial markets around Cardiff also reflect strain, with vacancy rates at a decade high due to closures like the Ford engine plant and Wilko’s distribution center. Overall, competition is stiff in some areas, while pockets of momentum in FinTech, government roles, and construction offer concrete entry points for candidates who target them thoughtfully.

Dominant Industries

Typical Roles

Hiring Patterns

Growth is most apparent in FinTech, insurance, and public sector administration, with regeneration projects creating roles tied to construction and hospitality. Meanwhile, higher education is contracting sharply and industrial vacancies remain elevated, making those sectors more challenging for job seekers.

"Looking for work in Cardiff right now means targeting sectors with real momentum, because across the board competition is high and not all sectors are growing."