Belfastruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Cyber security & fintech
Citi, Allstate NI, Rapid7, Proofpoint, PwC, Deloitte, the Centre for Secure Information Technologies at Queen's
Belfast has been the leading destination city in the world for inward investment in US cyber security development projects, a position built on the Centre for Secure Information Technologies at Queen's and a decade of follow-on investment. Citi's Belfast operation has grown past 4,000 people and is Northern Ireland's largest financial services employer.
Software & professional services
Kainos, Liberty IT, Version 1, Options Technology, PwC's second-largest UK office, Baker McKenzie's global services centre
Kainos is a FTSE-listed software company headquartered in Belfast rather than in London — unusual for a city this size — and the big four all run substantial delivery centres here, which is why so much of the graduate market is technology and professional services rather than the public sector everyone assumes.
Aerospace & advanced manufacturing
Airbus Belfast (A220 wings), Thales Belfast, Denroy, Collins Aerospace, Wrightbus at Ballymena
The Queen's Island wing plant — Shorts, then Bombardier, then Spirit AeroSystems — passed into direct Airbus ownership when Airbus completed its acquisition of the Spirit sites in December 2025 and became Airbus Belfast. Thales's Castlereagh site makes the NLAW and Starstreak missile systems, and Wrightbus up the road builds hydrogen double-deckers.
Film, television & creative
Titanic Studios, Belfast Harbour Studios, Northern Ireland Screen, Studio Ulster at Giant's Park
Game of Thrones was made in the Paint Hall at Titanic Studios, a former shipyard building, and the production ecosystem it created did not leave when the show did. Northern Ireland Screen's funding model and a cluster of purpose-built stages keep a steady stream of high-end television in the city.
Health, life sciences & universities
Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University's Belfast campus, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Almac at Craigavon, Randox
Queen's is a Russell Group university and one of the city's largest employers; Ulster University opened its £364 million Belfast campus on York Street in 2022, moving thousands of students into the north of the city centre and reshaping the rental market around it.
Ports, shipbuilding & energy
Belfast Harbour, Harland & Wolff under Navantia UK ownership, Kilroot and Ballylumford power stations, Bombardier's former supply chain
The Harland & Wolff yard — the two cranes, Samson and Goliath, are the city's skyline — went into administration in 2024 and was bought by the Spanish state shipbuilder Navantia, which is investing against a Royal Navy support-ship contract. Belfast Harbour is a trust port that reinvests its surplus locally, which is why it also owns film studios.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.