Bristol is a UK city with a difference. It doesn't necessarily rely on one sector to produce all its employment. If you elect to live and work in Bristol, you will have a choice of jobs. The financial sector employs almost 60,000 people but the high-tech sector is also important with silicon design companies in abundance. There are always aquatic related jobs as Bristol is located by the sea and there even jobs in aeronautics. 10 of the top companies to work for in Bristol are as follows.

10: Abel's Shipbuilders

Abel’s is Bristol’s biggest shipbuilder and was founded in 1980. David Abels founded the company after Charles Hill & Sons went out of business three years earlier. There are approximately 35 employees who carry out the process of building vessels up to 250 tonnes in weight from various materials including steel and aluminium.

9: Clerical Medical

This is a British life insurance company that has been in business since 1824. Its headquarters were in St. James's Square in London for 120 years before they moved to Bristol in 1975. Since then, the company has merged with the Halifax and is now part of HBOS.

8: Imperial Tobacco

This tobacco company is one of the largest in the UK with revenue of £29 billion per annum. In fact, Imperial Tobacco is the fourth largest tobacco company in the world in terms of market share and are number one when it comes to producing cigars and tobacco papers. There are more than 50 companies in worldwide locations which produce 320 billion cigarettes each year. It is a member of the FTSE 100 Index.

7: Hargreaves Lansdown

This financial service company was created in the early 1980s and earns almost £160 million per year. Peter Hargreaves and Stephen Lansdown are the founders and they used a bedroom to conduct operations during the early stages. The business has grown and now employs 650 people. Lansdown famously sold 4.7% of his shares for over £47 million in order to pay towards the cost of Bristol City FC's new football stadium.

6: Western Power Distribution (WPD)

WPD is an electricity company that was founded in 1999 and serves over 7 million people all over the UK. Their main branches of operations are in South West England, East and West Midlands and South Wales. The company is also a subsidiary of PPL, an American utility company.

5: Bugler Coaches

This is a bus and coach company that serves the community in Bristol. They were founded in 1947 and travel to destinations all over England and the UK. In 2009, Bugler Coaches won the UK Bus and Coach Industry’s award for accessibility. They may not be one of the giants of public transport in Bristol but they are one of the best to work for.

4: Bristol Media

This is a support network for media and creative industries in the city of Bristol. There are 1,700 members which makes it one of the largest creative communities in Britain. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is creative and interested in making a positive difference with regards to social change.

3: Bristol Water

You can thank this company for the water that you use daily. This company supplies 300 million litres of drinking water to approximately one million customers in the Bristol region. 50% of the water is taken from the Mendip Hills with the River Severn providing the rest. It was formed in 1846 as the Bristol Waterworks Company.

2: Orange

This mobile phone and internet provider have been serving UK customers since 1994. It is estimated to have 17 million customers in total and generates an annual profit of over £5 billion. Orange UK has also merged with Deutsche Telekom’s T Mobile UK and the two companies are launching a joint venture known as Everything Everywhere.

1: Rolls Royce

As well as creating luxury cars, Rolls Royce are known for being the world’s second largest maker of aircraft engines and also being in the top 25 defence contractors in the world. The company was founded in 1906 and has revenue of over £11 billion per annum. It employs 40,000 people worldwide and has a presence at Filton, Bristol.

These are the best companies to work for in Bristol but if you disagree or work at a company you believe deserves a mention, feel free to contact us.