Attending in-person job fairs can be extremely beneficial for recruiters. They allow you to meet many potential candidates at once and learn about their skills without having to do much legwork.
While the popularity of virtual job fairs, such as the UK’s Virtual Tech Jobs Fair, is on the rise, there’s arguably no comparison to an in-person event, as you can get a much better sense of your potential candidates.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest and most notable job fairs in the UK in 2023 where you’ll have the best chance of finding exciting local talent for your organisation.
JS Media Job Shows
The most attended recruitment event in the United Kingdom, Job Shows are organised by JS Media, the UK’s foremost specialist in career and training events. In the past decade, they have become a trusted partner for employers across the country.
The 5 large events held every year give job seekers and recruiters the opportunity to meet face-to face and help each other fill thousands of vacancies.
There are thousands of employment and training opportunities at each event – from part-time to full-time, entry-level to senior executive, apprenticeships to graduate schemes.
Additionally, there are numerous opportunities for industry experts to give seminars to share their expertise. Popular topics include how to successfully build a career in a given industry, improving CV writing skills and submitting professional job applications, and how to negotiate for higher salaries.
These events are also a good place to network with other recruiters, so are an ideal way to start off your recruitment year.
List of Job Shows UK events
Job Show Manchester
Where: Trafford Centre
When: 20 & 21 January 2023
This bustling recruitment event in Manchester boasts BAE Systems as the main sponsor.
London Job Show Stratford
Where: Westfield Stratford City
When: 3 & 4 February 2023
A great venue for recruitment in London, the sponsors for this event include the Metropolitan Police, the British Transport Police, LEYF Nurseries, Caprice Restaurants, and Vorboss.
Bristol Job Show
Where: Cabot Circus
When: 3 & 4 March 2023
A must for recruiters in Bristol, this event is presented by main sponsor Gwasanaeth Prawf Probation Service.
Milton Keynes Job Show
Where: centre:mk
When: 24 & 25 March 2023
Sponsors for this job show include Lockheed Martin, H&M, Network Rail, Santander, Milton Keynes University Hospital, the Ministry of Justice, the University of Bedfordshire, Greene King, and Nikon.
London Job Show W12
Where: Westfield Shepherds Bush
When: 21 & 22 April 2023
This second Job Show in London boasts sponsors including Bill’s, SO Energy, Red Engine, RAPT DEV, Comptoir Group, and Michael Kors.
UK Careers Fair
UK Careers Fair organise award winning job fairs across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and work with both national and international companies to help them find the country’s best talent.
Past exhibitors have included:
- Amazon
- BBC
- British Airways
- BT
- Dell
- FedEx
- HSBC
- KFC
- McDonald’s
- NHS
- Specsavers
- Tesco Bank
They’re held in 50 locations across the UK each year, including:
- Aberdeen
- Bath
- Belfast
- Bournemouth
- Bradford
- Brighton
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Dundee
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- Newport
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Portsmouth
- Reading
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Scarborough
- Wolverhampton
- York
Another positive about these events is UK Career Fair’s new policy that allows exhibitors to change event dates or locations without incurring a fee, allowing for greater flexibility in adapting to changes in circumstances.
Festival of Apprenticeships
Where: London, Manchester, and Birmingham
When: 2023 dates TBA
This roadshow exhibition is primarily aimed at 16-24 year olds looking to find out about apprenticeships and how they can help their future career opportunities.
At each venue there are over 200 exhibitors showcasing their apprenticeship programmes plus lots of other things going on like ‘Meet The Expert’ sessions.
Past exhibitors at the Festival of Apprenticeships
Exhibitors at the 2022 London Festival of Apprenticeships included:
- P Morgan
- EY
- Travis Perkins
- Lloyds Banking Group
- BT
- Career Map
- Rolls Royce
- HS2
- The Royal Navy
- Alstom
- WorldskillsUK
- Pearson
- Pathway Group
- Aspire Training Solutions
- Youth Employment UK
- Marine Society
- Compass Group
- Bagnalls
- TICA
- JKS Restaurants
- Taylor & Francis Group
- Learning Curve Group
- Not Going to Uni
- multiverse
- Inspiring Learning
- ixion
- GLP Training
- Tourism Western Australia
Additional exhibitors at the Manchester event included:
- BBC
- Jacobs
- Autotrader
- The Growth Company
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Fujitsu
- Barclays
- AJ Bell
- Bentley
- Amazon
- Transport for Greater Manchester
- Manchester City Council
Exhibitors at the 2022 Birmingham event included:
- West Midlands Police
- Birmingham City University
- Severn Talent
- The Development Manager Ltd.
- Make UK
- Juniper Training
- BMet
- Creative Alliance
- Midland Heart
- Sport4Life UK
In 2022, the events were held at the KIA Oval in London, the MMU Business School in Manchester, and at Millennium Point in Birmingham. The 2023 venues and dates have yet to be announced.
