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

30,761

available jobs in Surrey right now

Updated: May 2025

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 Need teaching

Primary teaching

Sales

Updated: April 2025

Other in-demand jobs include:

Accountants

Writers

Chefs

Cleaners

Construction and trades (entry-level)

Top 10 hiring Surrey employers in the last 12 months

  1. NHS – 9,696 roles
  2. Surrey County Council – 1,433 roles
  3. Absolute Interpreting And Translations – 1,156 roles
  4. University Of Surrey – 656 roles
  5. Ramsay Health Care – 626 roles
  6. Barchester –595 roles
  7. Care Uk – 561 roles
  8. AtkinsRéalis – 518 roles
  9. Compass Group – 499 roles
  10. Bupa – 476 roles

Updated: June 2025

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

Updated: June 2025

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

Updated: June 2025

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.