Work in the UK
Each settlement in the UK provides services or resources for people.
These resources can help generate money for the settlement, which in turn creates jobs for people who live in or close to the area.
Watch: Find out about how people work in the UK
Learn more about how jobs vary in different parts of the UK.
What do you want to do when you grow up?
My name is Charlie, and today I’m in Belfast to investigate the different jobs on offer.
The jobs people do sometimes depend on where they live.
Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland, as well as being an important port… which is a place where ships dock to transport people and produce to and from other ports all over the world.
200 years ago, Belfast was famous for making linen - a cloth made from a plant called flax… which came to Belfast from farms in Ireland, and was brought across the sea from Europe and America.
So if I’d lived here back then, I’d have probably had a job spinning linen in one of the mills.
Or maybe I’d have been a ship builder? One of history’s most famous ships - the Titanic - was built in Belfast.
Ships are still built here, but these days the factories make other things too: aircraft engines, missiles, rockets and even engines for spacecraft!
Belfast is also famous for making TV shows and films that are seen all over the world.
Tourists come to see the sights - and the hotels, restaurants and tour companies all give work to local people.
And there are offices, shops, schools - so many jobs to choose from!
But let’s go to a totally different part of the UK - Castle Combe in a beautiful part of England called the Cotswolds.
If I lived here, I might not have such a wide choice of jobs. There are no factories or office blocks, and not so many shops.
Hundreds of years ago, most people around here were farmers, and Castle Combe itself was known for making woollen clothes.
There’s still a lot of farmland here… but now, most of the jobs are in tourism.
There are hotels, a golf club, camp sites and not far away - a race track!
Not everyone works in the tourism industry though, so many people travel into the towns nearby for work.
Cities might not be as peaceful, but they can offer a bigger choice of jobs.
What do you think you’ll do when you’re older? And where do you think you’ll want to live? Bye!
Working in cities
Cities are settlements containing many businesses where lots of money is made.
Many towns and cities grew during the Industrial Revolution, because lots of factories were built and people moved there from the countryside to work in them.
Northern England played an important part in the Industrial Revolution. The climate was ideal for the cotton industry. Ports such as Liverpool and Newcastle were ideal for importing and exporting goods so they grew. Major cities grew in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.
Today cities are important bases for the service industries and they still have factories for manufacturing.
Take a look below at the four capital cities across the UK in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:
Working outside of cities
As new machinery was invented, less people were needed to work in the factories and many left the cities.
Eventually, opportunities for work became available in other parts of the UK.
Over time, improved transport links meant that people could live in the outskirts of cities, but travel into them to work.
Here is a map of the A geographical region of a country which has its own local government. in the UK below.
What jobs people do
Depending on where people live in the UK, the jobs available can be very different.
The three main sectors of jobs which are available include:
Primary sector - includes jobs such as farming, fishing and forestry. These are mainly in the countryside.
Secondary sector - includes manufacturing of goods, such as textiles, aircraft, cars and trains.
Tertiary sector - includes services such as banking, tourism, education, health, transport and IT.
Take a look at the jobs on offer in Castle Combe in the Cotswolds.
Image caption, Background
Castle Combe originally was a market town with lots of farmland. As well as looking after the land and animals, people also used wool from sheep to make cloth.
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