Slough: Town lampooned in The Office and John Betjeman's poem crowned best place to work in UK

Glassdoor’s research compares the 50 most populated towns in the country by assessing three factors: hiring opportunity, cost of living and job satisfaction

General view of the skyline of the Borough of Slough (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

Slough, most famous for its portrayal as a dreary, post-industrial commuter town in cult sitcom The Office, has been named the best place to the work in the UK.

Research by Glassdoor, one of the world’s biggest job search sites, found that Slough offers the best combination of affordability and employment opportunity. Its proximity to major transport hubs, thanks to its location just outside Greater London, also helped propel it up the rankings.

Glassdoor ranked the best towns and cities in the country on criteria including ease of finding a job, how expensive it is and how satisfied people are with their work.

In many parts of the UK, property prices have rocketed as wages remained stagnant, and a jump in inflation since last year’s Brexit vote has dealt a further blow to cash-conscious households.

But Glassdoor found that Slough – the subject of a 1937 poem by John Betjeman, in which the former poet laureate suggested it should be destroyed by “friendly bombs” – is still a decent place to settle.

“With large multinational businesses establishing themselves in Slough, along with high average salaries and close proximity to major transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport, the Berkshire town has now emerged as a prime spot to live and work,” said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor.

He said that although people in London are “generally satisfied”, the capital “has proven not only to be an expensive place to live, but also an ultra-competitive city in which to find a job”.

The overall ranking was determined by allocating scores for each category on a scale of one to five.

Hiring opportunity was determined by the ratio of active job openings to population. Cost of living was calculated as the ratio of median annual base salary to average home value in the area. Job satisfaction ratings were based on at least 80 company reviews, written by local employees on Glassdoor’s website over the past year.

Slough secured an overall score of 4.2. The median base salary in the town is £35,000, while the median home value comes in at £390,654. Manchester was ranked second, followed by Cambridge, Swindon and Stoke on Trent.

Here is the full list:

1. Slough

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.2

Job Openings: 26,387

Median Base Salary: £35,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £390,654

Hot Jobs: Mobile Developer, Sales Manager, Recruitment Consultant

2. Manchester

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0

Job Openings: 41,555

Median Base Salary: £23,998

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: £177,263

Hot Jobs: Data Scientist, Digital Marketing Executive, Retail Store Manager

3. Cambridge

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 4.0

Job Openings: 21,645

Median Base Salary: £31,225

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: £455,299

Hot Jobs: Software Engineer, Graphic Designer, Registered Nurse

4. Swindon

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.9

Job Openings: 15,307

Median Base Salary: £31,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: 248,514

Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Account Manager, Facilities Manager

5. Stoke-on-Trent

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.9

Job Openings: 16,381

Median Base Salary: £21,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £143,328

Hot Jobs: Business Development Manager, Production Operator, Sales Consultant

6. Reading

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.8

Job Openings: 25,305

Median Base Salary: £35,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £422,120

Hot Jobs: Social Media Manager, Electrician, Sales Executive

7. Leeds

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.8

Job Openings: 41,097

Median Base Salary: £24,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £206,143

Hot Jobs: Project Manager, Business Analyst, Building Surveyor

8. Milton Keynes

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.7

Job Openings: 16,164

Median Base Salary: £28,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: £301,938

Hot Jobs: Solutions Architect, Communications Manager, HR Manager

9. Bolton

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.7

Job Openings: 11,233

Median Base Salary: £21,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £159,690

Hot Jobs: Net Developer, Account Assistant, IT Business Analyst

10. Oxford

Glassdoor City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings:18,649

Median Base Salary: £30,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £489,037

Hot Jobs: Software Engineer, Chef, Banker

11. Coventry

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 14,891

Median Base Salary: £27,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

Median Home Value: £197,170

Hot Jobs: Quality Engineer, Site Manager, Systems Engineer

12. Derby

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 12,807

Median Base Salary: £25,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £196,993

Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Production Operator, Truck Driver

13. Nottingham

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 14,698

Median Base Salary: £23,500

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £191,555

Hot Jobs: Teacher, Recruitment Consultant, Project Manager

14. Birmingham

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 47,551

Median Base Salary: £24,864

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £189,220

Hot Jobs: Sales Executive, Customer Service Advisor, Design Engineer

15. Ipswich

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 11,446

Median Base Salary: £24,985

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £264,105

Hot Jobs: Quantity Surveyor, Chef, Service Advisor

16. Belfast

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 11,775

Median Base Salary: £21,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £157,580

Hot Jobs: Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Restaurant Manager

17. Southampton

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.6

Job Openings: 19,319

Median Base Salary: £26,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £285,088

Hot Jobs: Senior Recruitment Consultant, Administrator, Receptionist

18. Aberdeen

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 4,548

Median Base Salary: £32,500

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

Median Home Value: £223,625

Hot Jobs: Civil Engineer, Language Teacher, Delivery Driver

19. Luton

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 9,786

Median Base Salary: £29,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £260,288

Hot Jobs: Finance Manager, Account Manager, Property Manager

20. Dundee

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 4,992

Median Base Salary: £20,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

Median Home Value: £156,016

Hot Jobs: Field Sales, Customer Service Advisor, Language Teacher

21. Newcastle Upon Tyne

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 13,734

Median Base Salary: £22,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £204,556

Hot Jobs: Production Operator, Project Manager, Store Manager

22. Bristol

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 37,367

Median Base Salary: £25,598

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

Median Home Value: £314,274

Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Web Developer, Teacher

23. Blackpool

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 2,013

Median Base Salary: £18,000

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

Median Home Value: £118,681

Hot Jobs: Registered Nurse, Chef, Teaching Assistant

24. Hull

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.5

Job Openings: 2,102

Median Base Salary: £22,500

Job Satisfaction Rating: 2.9

Median Home Value: £134,430

Hot Jobs: Site Manager, Electrician, Science Teacher

25. Peterborough

Glassdoor Town & City Score (out of 5): 3.4

Job Openings: 8,944

Median Base Salary: £22,060

Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

Median Home Value: £219,824

Hot Jobs: Maintenance Engineer, Site Manager, Recruitment Consultant