History of employment on the Clyde

Glasgow has long been a city of commerce and service industries. In the 18th century the wealth of the city was based on the trade of sugar, rum, cotton and tobacco. 

Today most job opportunities in Glasgow are still in the service sector. Four out of every five employees in Glasgow work in the service sector.  Find out more about current job prospects in A new vision for the future.
 
During the last 2 centuries manufacturing industries such as

• Shipbuilding
• Railway locomotives
• Soap making
• Distilling
• Glass making
• Sugar
• Textiles

offered a range of employment opportunities.

From 1870 until the start of the First World War Glasgow produced almost a fifth of the world’s ships. At its height, the cotton industry employed almost a third of the Glasgow workforce. As these industries have declined, there are fewer new jobs in manufacturing. 

Find out more about the history of Glasgow on the Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow Story websites.