Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Sunderland

Sunderland has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
75/100

Economy overview

Sunderland has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Sunderland, United Kingdom is classified as a tourism economy in our deterministic economy index. These are planning estimates derived from country economic priors and existing city signals — not measured GDP or labour-market statistics. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Key industries

The sectors that most shape the local economy, derived deterministically from country and city signals.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • Hospitality
  • Technology
  • Aerospace
  • Research
  • Software

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment73/100
Job market76/100

Sunderland's labour market is strong, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, technology and education and research.

Salary potential

Estimated pay levels and how far local incomes stretch against the cost of living.

Salary potential

Salary potential75/100
Affordability-adjusted income71/100

The affordability-adjusted income score combines estimated pay with the local cost of living, indicating how far a typical income stretches in Sunderland.

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment78/100

This reflects infrastructure, institutional capacity, and the scale of the local market relative to peer cities.

Startup ecosystem

How supportive the local ecosystem is for new ventures.

Startup ecosystem

Startup ecosystem73/100
Innovation77/100

The startup ecosystem in Sunderland is strong, supported by universities and skilled talent, a favourable business environment and strong infrastructure.

Remote work suitability

Suitability for remote and distributed work.

Remote work suitability

Remote work80/100
Remote job availability80/100

Sunderland offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 80/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity76/100
Technology77/100
Healthcare64/100
Finance55/100
Manufacturing61/100
Tourism92/100
Education64/100

Economy score

A 0–100 composite of employment, salary, business environment, startups, innovation, remote work, and affordability-adjusted income. Used consistently across the platform.

Economy score

Economy score75/100
Employment73/100
Salary75/100
Business environment78/100
Startup ecosystem73/100
Innovation77/100
Remote work80/100

Jobs score

A 0–100 labour-market composite and its sector components.

Jobs score

Job market76/100
Technology77/100
Healthcare64/100
Finance55/100
Manufacturing61/100
Tourism92/100
Education64/100
Remote availability80/100
Career opportunity76/100

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