Leeds has one of the biggest economies in the UK, which means there are jobs in many different areas.
Big areas of employment in Leeds include:
- hospitality (for example hotels, bars, restaurants)
- health and social care (for example hospitals, care homes)
- education (for example universities, colleges and schools)
- financial services (for example banks, insurance)
- retail (for example supermarkets, high street shops)
- construction (for example building)
- transport (for example driving a taxi, bus or lorry)
The Business and IP Centre is a network run by Leeds City Council that offers helpful advice for people who have new business ideas:
The Business and IP Centre Leeds
Community Hubs
You can get free advice and support to look for a job from your local Community Hub, which are run by Leeds City Council. They can both help you find job vacancies, prepare a CV and offer advice on further training. You don’t need an appointment.
There are 26 Community Hubs in different neighbourhoods of Leeds. They offer job search help and advice. Community Hubs also have other services that can help you with housing, benefits and council tax. There are also libraries, free computers and wi-fi.
You can find your nearest Community Hub here:
Find Your Nearest Community Hub
Jobcentre Plus
You can also visit a Jobcentre Plus. Jobcentre Plus can help you look for jobs and free training. There is a Government website that allows you to search for and apply for jobs:
Jobcentre Plus is also the place to find out whether you can claim any welfare benefits to support you while you look for work. Their main office is in the city centre:
21-22 Park Pl, Leeds LS1 2SL
There are other local branches of Jobcentre Plus, find your local Job Centre Plus on the GOV.UK website:
Find Your Local Jobcentre Plus
Find out more about the Jobcentre Plus:
Agencies
Job agencies (also called recruitment agencies) match up people looking for work with companies which have job vacancies. They can also provide advice on CVs and preparing for an interview.
If you contact an employment agency, they usually invite you for an interview to find out what type of job you are looking for and any relevant skills and experience you have. They will then contact you when a job vacancy is available.
You should never have to pay a fee for using a recruitment agency – it is the employers who pay for their services.
Where you need to go
You can usually sign up with an agency by visiting their offices. You do not usually need to book an appointment, but it is a good idea to phone first to make sure they have the types of jobs you are looking for.
Job websites
There are many national websites that you can use to look for job vacancies, here are a few popular ones:
You could also try looking at the websites for big employers in Leeds. For example:
NHS (jobs in health) (search for Leeds)
