Manchester is home to the second largest economy in the UK, with a GVA of £59.6 billion. GVA per head grew 4.2% in 2017, to reach £33,063. This represents 125.6% of the country's overall rate. Business growth is also impressive in the city; in 2015 there were 111.9 new businesses for every 10,000 working age residents, compared to 92.9 nationally. The total number of businesses grew by 18.2% to 25,780 in 2016.
The city offers excellent potential across a wide range of industries. The professional, scientific and technical sector is particularly strong, accounting for 12.8% of all jobs in the area. Other strong industries include healthcare, financial and business support services, manufacturing and advanced engineering, research, creative and digital, and energy and environment.
Curious to learn which specific companies are currently leading the pack in Manchester? We've put together this list of the businesses currently generating the largest sums across the city - check out the top companies below.
MoreThere are currently around 375,500 people working across Manchester, increasing by 13% from 2013 to 2016. One of the largest employers in the city is advanced manufacturing, employing 114,000 people across subsectors such as software engineering, aerospace and transport. The city's commitment to low carbon means it is investing £8-10 billion in the energy industry, providing lucrative opportunities to businesses in the sector.
The creative, digital and technology sector is also thriving across Manchester. In 2016 it contributed £4.1 billion in GVA, with 1600 start ups in 2016, as well as market leaders such as AO.com, IBM, the BBC and Cisco. As the only UK city to have devolved authority over its healthcare budget - all £6 billion of it.
