If you’re looking for a job in London in 2025, you’ll be facing a mixed job market. The good news is that technology and digital companies are actively hiring, and are offering competitive salaries and conditions.
If you’ve got up to date digital skills in fields like AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, AgTech or fintech, companies will definitely want to talk to you.
Other sectors may be a little slower, but plenty of good companies are recruiting and there are all kinds of interesting positions waiting to be filled. Before you send out any more CVs, it’s worth reevaluating your goals. Most people want a well paid job. A rewarding and challenging role is often a prerequisite, and a short daily commute is a definite plus. But there is more to choosing a job than just the obvious criteria.
Since the COVID-19 lockdowns and work from home, many employees are looking for a sense of purpose and a job that brings deeper satisfaction and meaning. Working for a company that makes a positive impact in the world is one way to feel a lot more positive about your career choices.
What Makes an Impactful Company?
Impactful companies fall into two broad types. The most obvious are companies that perform inherent social good, like innovating in the medical sector, or providing solutions for sustainable agriculture. The second type is companies that provide ordinary services like banking or retail, but channel a share of their profits and resources into important community projects or environmental protection.
Not everybody can contribute to finding a cure for cancer or reversing global warming, but it’s easy to find a job where just showing up everyday makes a wider positive impact – regardless of your role or experience.
London-Based Companies that Create a Positive Impact
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is one of Britain’s iconic retail chains. Like many high street shops, they have been forced to restructure and cut back, but M&S intends to keep around 600 shops in the UK. If you want to work in retail, Marks and Spencer could be a good choice. The company has launched Plan A – an ambitious initiative to halve food waste, introduce 100% sustainability in raw material sourcing and increase the proportion of recycled material in its clothing and home ranges.
M&S is also running a charitable program that seeks to establish a permanent presence in over 1,000 UK communities and provide a holistic range of community support programs that will help disadvantaged local people with food banks, well being, education and social integration. The program is backed up by funding worth £25 million.
ICL Group
ICL Group is a pioneering global specialty minerals company and one of the world’s largest fertilizer manufacturers. ICL Group operates in over a dozen countries and is focused on promoting sustainable agriculture through its advanced crop nutritional solutions, and other sustainable solutions in energy, food technology, and many other fields.
ICL Group’s most recent ESG report showcases how the company’s impact on crop yields feeds more than 400 million people daily and have added to the longevity of more than 43 million tons of food, the equivalent of 230 billion meals! ICL also pioneered community volunteer programs where employees receive paid leave to mentor and assist local people to build and then manage their own initiatives.
Barclays UK
Barclays is one of the UK’s best-known high street banks and traces its early origins back to the City of London in 1690. If you asked the average person in Britain to list a selection of impactful companies, it’s unlikely that they’d include any multinational banks. In fact, Barclays maintains a highly effective LifeSkills program that has helped over 18 million young people around the world to improve their digital skills and employment prospects.
Barclays’ commitment to tackle youth unemployment through LifeSkills has a profound impact on both individual lives and wider communities. The bank also actively supports employee engagement and volunteer initiatives and views them as a positive contribution to professional development and career management.
Shell plc
Major oil companies don’t always get a good press, but Shell is highly forward thinking and is committed to the development of clean and renewable energy. The Shell Foundation is the company’s registered charity – established with a $250 million budget – that works under its independent directors to alleviate poverty across Africa and Asia, combining income enhancement initiatives with climate action,
Shell calculates that its foundation has improved the quality of life for more than 270 million people by improving basic incomes and access to health care. If you’re looking for work with a London based multinational that offers an interesting career, and offers an opportunity to contribute to the reduction of poverty and environmental damage, Shell may be a good choice.
Mace Group Ltd,
The construction industry offers a variety of opportunities, both for qualified professionals and for people seeking general employment. Mace Group is widely regarded as one of the most ethical companies in the industry and was founded in 1990 to bring a new modern approach to a traditionally tough business. Mace uses its building skills and resources in the Volunteering for Better Communities project to renovate community assets.
Mace also has a commitment to education. The company runs STEM clubs in partnership with Mabey Hire to give promising students a foundation in science, technology and engineering. In addition to providing STEM training to local communities, Mace gives practical help preparing CVs and practicing interview skills. Mace had significant involvement in building the London Eye, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and the distinctive Shard building and is a true London company.
Create a Shortlist of Impactful Companies
Everybody has their own personal checklist when it comes to a job search, but as you identify potential employers it’s worth researching whether the company really puts something back into the community, or just pays lip service to the concept of social responsibility. If nothing else, companies which genuinely invest time and resources in making the world a better place are far more likely to look after their own employees and invest in creating a positive and equitable workplace!
Read more:
Some Impactful Companies to Work for in the UK in 2025
