Edinburghruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Financial services & asset management
abrdn, Baillie Gifford, Royal London, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group
Edinburgh is one of the largest financial centres in the UK outside London, with a particular concentration in asset and investment management rather than banking.
Technology & data
Skyscanner, FanDuel, Amazon Development Centre, Administrate
Edinburgh produced two of Scotland's largest technology exports in Skyscanner and FanDuel, and the university's informatics school anchors a genuine research-to-startup pipeline.
Higher education & research
University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh Napier, Roslin Institute
The University of Edinburgh is among the world's leading research universities, and the Roslin Institute — where Dolly the sheep was cloned — remains a global centre for animal genetics.
Government & public sector
Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, Registers of Scotland, NHS Scotland
Devolved government makes Edinburgh a genuine capital, with policy, legal and administrative employment that Glasgow does not have.
Law & professional services
Shepherd and Wedderburn, Brodies, Deloitte, EY
Scotland has its own distinct legal system, and Scottish qualification is separate from England and Wales — a genuine barrier for lawyers moving north.
Tourism, festivals & creative industries
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Edinburgh International Festival, Historic Environment Scotland
The Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world by ticketed events, and the creative economy around it employs substantially year-round.
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