Surrey’s economy

Here is a snapshot of the Surrey economy to help you make an informed decision about living and working in the county.

Available jobs and sectors

13,835

available jobs in Surrey right now
Updated: January 2026

1-in-5

workers are employed in finance, IT, professional and science or technical roles

Top five most recruited jobs

Teaching assistants

Care workers and home care

Special Education Needs teaching

Primary teaching

Cleaners

Updated: January 2026

Other in-demand jobs include:

Accountants

Writers

Chefs

Vehicle Technicians

Construction and trades (entry-level)

Top 10 hiring Surrey employers in the last 12 months

  1. NHS – 8,206 roles
  2. Surrey County Council – 1,320 roles
  3. Absolute Interpreting And Translations – 850 roles
  4. Barchester – 714 roles
  5. Avery Healthcare – 656 roles
  6. University of Surrey – 646 roles
  7. BAE Systems – 589 roles
  8. Compass Group – 553 roles
  9. AtkinsRéalis – 541 roles
  10. Mitchells & Butlers – 504 roles

Updated: January 2026

Top 10 most wanted transferable skills

  1. Communication
  2. Management
  3. Teaching
  4. Customer Service
  5. Detail Oriented
  6. Planning
  7. Sales
  8. Leadership
  9. English Language
  10. Operations

Updated: January 2026

Top 10 most wanted specialised skills

  1. Auditing
  2. Autism Spectrum Disorders
  3. Working With Children
  4. Finance
  5. Classroom Management
  6. Project Management
  7. Mental Health
  8. Personal Care
  9. Marketing
  10. Accounting

Updated: January 2026

Skills

Top 10 most wanted transferable skills

  1. Communication
  2. Management
  3. Customer Service
  4. Teaching
  5. Detail Oriented
  6. Sales
  7. Planning
  8. Leadership
  9. English Language
  10. Interpersonal Communications

Top 10 most wanted specialised skills

  1. Auditing
  2. Finance
  3. Working With Children
  4. Project Management
  5. Marketing
  6. Mental Health
  7. Autism Spectrum Disorders
  8. Accounting
  9. Invoicing
  10. Personal Care

Surrey residents in and out of work

72,900

people in Surrey are self-employed

(Q4, 2024)

133,000

Surrey adults currently not in work

(Jan to Mar 2025)

17,690

currently claiming unemployment support

(Mar to Apr 2025)

Chart showing the percentage of working age people in Surrey currently in work (2024) Higher than UK average (74.4%) 79.3% of working age people in Surrey are currently in work (2024) This value is higher than UK average (74.4%)
79.3%

Chart showing the percentage of working age people in Surrey currently in work (2024)

Chart showing unemployment rate in Surrey (April 2025) Unemployment rate in Surrey (April 2025) Percentage unemployment rate in Surrey (April 2025) Percentage unemployment rate in Surrey (April 2025)
2.3%

Chart showing unemployment rate in Surrey (April 2025)

Earnings

£874 a week

average earnings per resident –

20% higher than UK average

Chart showing growth in wages (2024) Growth in wages (2024) – higher than national average 7% growth in wages (2024) – higher than national average 7% growth in wages (2024) – higher than national average
7%

Chart showing growth in wages (2024)

Surrey stats

£50 billion

value of Surrey economy

Gaming

Home to the “Hollywood of Gaming”

One in ten available jobs in Surrey require few or no qualifications

(9%, Apr 2024)

Chart showing percentage of Surrey adults are highly-skilled Percentage of Surrey adults are highly-skilled (degree or above) Percentage of Surrey adults are highly-skilled (degree or above)
54%

Chart showing percentage of Surrey adults are highly-skilled

11 minutes

average travel time to work via walk or public transport, the shortest time of south east regions (2019)

Disclaimer

All the above information is collated by Surrey County Council via public and private sources, such as the Office for National Statistics.

Interested in seeing the latest data for Surrey? View our free-to-access dashboard supplied by Lightcast.