Based on the expert analysis and our database of 440+ UK industries, IBISWorld presents a list of the Biggest Industries by Employment in the UK in 2020
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View a list of the Top 25 biggest industries by employmentEmployment number for 2020: 1,109,893
The Supermarkets industry has undergone radical change over the past five years. Changing shopping habits, the aggressive expansion of discount supermarkets and increased external competition have all influenced industry performance. Prices have been cut by the largest operators since the start of the price war in a highly competitive environment. In addition, the industry’s largest player, Tesco, became embroiled in an accounting scandal in 2014, which resulted in large-scale management changes within both Tesco and the wider industry. The combination of these factors has contributed to a fairly poor revenue performance over the past five years. Industry revenue is expected... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 894,179
Organisations included in the Charities industry are defined as non-profit organisations with some meaningful degree of voluntary participation and whose aims are in the public benefit. This covers a broad range of charitable objectives, from emergency relief and international aid to arts programmes. Charities derive their income primarily from donations made by individuals and grants received from the public sector or benevolent organisations, meaning economic conditions play a large role in industry revenue growth.Industry revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 1% over the five years through 2019-20, to £52.5 billion. However, as donations from the public are the largest source... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 885,030
Businesses in this industry provide their clients with workers to temporarily replace or supplement their existing labour force. Industry performance generally hinges on economic conditions, in particular the unemployment rate and business confidence. Both good and weak conditions can benefit the industry, but weak conditions can initially hinder performance as hiring slows. When the economy is strong and unemployment is low, businesses turn to employment placement agencies to help find suitable skilled and unskilled labour. Additionally, if business confidence falls, temporary workers are often the first to be hired, as tentative businesses seek flexibility in their hiring practices to insulate... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 820,263
Operators in the Hospitals industry provide medical, diagnostic and treatment services at both general and specialised hospitals. They have benefited from a growing and ageing population over the past five years, increasing demand for health care. However, public health-care budgets have failed to keep pace with ballooning demand and the NHS has consistently fallen below targets, with waiting times increasing over the period. This has caused the private sector to expand, as frustration at NHS shortcomings has led to a greater number of patients seeking private treatment. Over the five years through 2019-20, industry revenue is expected to fall at a... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 699,085
Industry operators generally provide education to students between 11 and 18 years of age. The majority of schools are funded by the government or by local education authorities, although the industry also includes privately funded independent schools, which are expected to be the main driver of industry growth over the five years through 2019-20. The majority of secondary schools are either academies, which are state-funded but operate independently of local authorities, or maintained schools, which are controlled by local authorities. Both operate according to government guidelines and are therefore directly influenced by government policy.Industry operators rely heavily on government funding,... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 550,118
The Primary Education industry consists of approximately 26,500 schools. Approximately 93% of primary school pupils attend state-funded schools and academies, with the remainder enrolled at independent schools. Industry revenue is mostly derived from government funding, either distributed directly to establishments or via local education authorities. The remainder of industry revenue consists of tuition fees and donations from children enrolled in privately funded independent schools. IBISWorld expects industry revenue to decrease at a compound annual rate of 1% over the five years through 2019-20 to £32.5 billion. This can be attributed to declines in government spending on education in 2015-16 and... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 520,011
The Full-Service Restaurants industry grew strongly in the first half of the past five-year period. However, cost increases and weak consumer demand following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union has reversed this trend in the latter half of the period. The industry’s performance has also been influenced by trends in consumer preferences. Although disposable income and consumer confidence declined in 2016-17, households increased their weekly expenditure on restaurants. This increase reflects a higher number of bookings and the exceptionally hot weather in September 2016. Nevertheless, increases in the National Living Wage, business rates, input costs and saturation in the market has... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 471,798
Universities provide higher education, leading to qualifications such as bachelor's degrees, foundation degrees, master's degrees and higher education diplomas. Over the past five years, the industry has faced challenges stemming from cuts to the level of funding received from the government. As a result, the percentage of revenue generated from tuition fees has increased over the period following a rise on the cap on undergraduate tuition fees from £3,000 in 2012 to £9,250 in 2017. Even with this increase, UCAS reported a record percentage of 38.8% of the 18-year-old population applying for a place at university starting in September 2019.... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 435,380
The Management Consultants industry covers a broad range of consulting services, including strategic and organisational planning, marketing, IT and human resource consulting, and business process management. Industry revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 0.7% over the five years through 2019-20. This growth is anticipated to be largely driven by rising demand for IT consulting services. In addition, regulatory changes in the financial services sector, the industry’s largest downstream market, have benefited industry participants, as banks and other financial institutions have required assistance to reformulate business strategies and operations in order to comply with new policies.Revenue... Learn More
Employment number for 2020: 417,191
Operators in the Pubs and Bars industry primarily prepare and serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on their own premises, but they also provide a range of non-alcoholic beverages and food for customers. The industry has endured difficult operating conditions over the past five years. Declining alcohol consumption over the long term, increased price competition from supermarkets and falling beer sales have constrained revenue growth over the period. In addition, high business rates, growing wage costs, and rising domestic and imported material costs have limited operators' profitability. Nevertheless, industry revenue is anticipated to increase at a compound annual rate of 0.8%... Learn More
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