What's the best UK city or region for PHP jobs?

Map showing concentration of PHP roles within the UK

Jonathan Thomas, 18th December 2010

In which UK region or city should you live to maximise the availability of good quality and well-paid PHP work?

That's the question we set about trying to answer with this map, which shows the approximate location of over 200 permanent and contract PHP jobs posted in recent times on the PHPJobs.co.uk website.

The most clearly identifiable concentrations of PHP roles lie around the English conurbations of Greater London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The greatest concentration of roles is undeniably in and around London, although this should be taken in the context of the greater population density of this region. The South Coast of England, particularly Brighton and the surrounding area, is the only remaining area with a significant concentration of PHP roles.

The concentration of roles along the M62 corridor does not come as a great surprise - Manchester, Leeds and Huddersfield are home to a high number of digital agencies and startups attracted by the strong transport links, small business support services and high quality candidates. This region is undoubtedly a mature marketplace for PHP recruiters and candidates, although overshadowed somewhat in terms of the number of opportunities by the Greater London area.

The PHP market in the West Midlands has shown strong growth in recent times, although still lags behind Greater London and the M62 corridor by a significant margin. Candidates already based in this area will undoubtedly be able to earn a respectable living, although candidates thinking about moving to this regionspecifically for the local PHP job market could perhaps be disappointed by the number of roles available.

Disappointingly, the availability of PHP roles further north than Yorkshire is virtually non-existent, aside from a small concentration of roles along the M6 corridor between the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District. We've not had a single job post from the North East region despite the increasing perception of this region (particularly the city of Newcastle) as a progressive and viable destination for living and working. Scotland tells a similar story, with a handful of PHP roles located within the major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, but very little else to speak of.

Wales follows a similar pattern to Scotland - the few PHP roles that exist are based in the highly urbanised South region, home of Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. No roles elsewhere in Wales have been posted by recruiters.

The remaining regions of England show a well distributed, if low, availability of roles. This suggests that candidates living in the South West, East Anglia, East Midlands and Cotswolds should not have particular difficulty finding PHP work. However, opportunties within these areas may offer lower pay or less flexible working conditions than in the major conurbations due to the lower concentration of competing organisations.

So to answer the question in a more direct manner, in which UK region should an aspiring PHP candidate set up base? On face value, the obvious choice is Greater London - but this should be viewed in light of the alarming cost of living in the region versus the salaries/rates on offer. For the majority of PHP roles, the London salary weighting tends to be in the region of 20% which is unlikely to cover the additional costs of living. Ultimately, the decision of a PHP developer to be based in London will likely be based upon to lifestyle preferences rather than economic aspirations.

Latest PHP jobs from PHPJobs.co.uk

The M62 corridor encompassing Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Huddersfield presents a compelling case for aspiring PHP candidates - the volume and of PHP opportunities in this region is significant, and living costs can still be extremely low for those willing to compromise. As stated previously, the market within the West Midlands may be disappointing for those looking to move to this region, but is most definitely workable for those with established roots.

For PHP contractors, the picture might be less clear. Contractors are likely to be more tolerant of long commutes due to the short-term nature of contract work - this factor sheds a different light on the issue of location. The concentration of roles in the three major conurbations discussed above does provide the option of living within major transport links to all three - perhaps near the East Coast mainline or within driving distance of the M1 in the East Midlands.

For PHP contractors less tolerant of long commuting times, the South East provides the highest number of opportunities, but as with permanent roles, the small countrywide variation in contract rates needs to be taken into careful consideration. The M62 corridor provides a reasonable degree of contract opportunities, but PHP contractors do run the risk of being out of work or needing to take low-paid work from time to time due to the lower number of contract opportunities when compared to the South East.

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