Thanks to a winning combination of ambition, extremely hard work and some serious investment, Peterborough is well and truly on track to becoming a city that doesn’t just intend to embrace the future, it pretty much wants to marry it. The results of the 2015 Greater Peterborough Business Survey are in, and they paint a confident picture of increasing development and prosperity, with almost 60% of respondents* reporting increased turnover during the last 12 months – up 12% on the previous year – and the expectation that those positive trends will continue throughout 2015, with 112 companies (65%) expecting further growth and profitability. This is all genuinely marvellous, and sincere and grateful thanks to our friends at Rawlinsons and Opportunity Peterborough for doing the legwork and officially confirming what many of us at grassroots level already suspected.

But behind the numbers, the pie charts and the hearty ‘ding’ of the Success-o-meter lies something altogether more profound than mere profit and expansion. It’s hope. Hope for a future that includes stability and the realisation of personal goals and ambitions. For without secure jobs and a flourishing local economy, it’s impossible to plan: getting by day to day, paying bills and making ends meet is hard enough in a city blighted by lack of good opportunities, but getting married? Starting a family? Saving for a rainy day, or a holiday or special family event? All these and more become impossible without decent prospects – life becomes a thing endured rather than lived.

Here at Recruit Mint, we couldn’t be more pleased with these findings. We know that securing a role with great people who truly value staff and contractors is absolutely essential to personal satisfaction and well-being. And the value of a good job spreads beyond the individual, too, ensuring that immediate families and the wider community have the right framework in place to thrive and prosper, contributing to a happier, healthier society.

So let’s all pat ourselves on the back today. We’ve each of us done our bit towards creating a nicer, more cohesive place to live – and we have a feeling it’s just the beginning…

* The 185 survey respondents come from a cross-section of business sectors with the highest proportion from professional services, manufacturing, media, retail and construction. 55% of respondents have operated here for over 15 years. About 68 per cent of companies employed between one and 20 staff. Company turnovers ranged from below £100,000 up to in excess of £10,000,000.



Source: Opportunity Peterborough