Winchester has a working population of around 125,000, an increase of 1.5% from 2012. There has been a rise in jobs available of 10,000 since 2011, with the majority of these being in full-time employment. The two largest sectors for employment in the city during 2015 were health and social care, providing 17% of jobs in the city, and retail and repair of vehicles, at 16%. Other important industries for employment include food and drink, professional services and ICT.

The city's workforce are skilled and educated. Nearly 75% are educated to NVQ3 level, having seen an increase of over 11% from 2012 to 2016. Over 50% of working age residents are educated to NVQ4 or above.