The Channel Islands have always been a popular option for people working in professional services, thanks to a strong core of world-class businesses alongside the various financial benefits and quality of life the Islands can offer.
It’s no surprise that many people working in major UK cities, such as London, Manchester and Birmingham, often consider relocating to the Channel Islands as they progress through their career and look for somewhere to settle down.
This has resulted in the Channel Islands jobs market evolving dramatically over the last two decades, to the point where it’s now one of the most exciting hubs in the world for certain sectors such as finance, banking and legal.
If you’re considering working in the Channel Islands, or simply want to know more about Channel Islands employment, here’s the state of the Channel Islands jobs market today and what to expect going forward.
How are demographics changing across the Channel Islands jobs market?
Towards the end of 2025, a report by PwC suggested that the Channel Islands was experiencing a ‘skills shortage’, led by low birth rates and a shrinking pool of talent. While the number of businesses across the professional services sector continues to grow, many of these employers are struggling to attract star talent.
This means there’s a huge opportunity for professionals seeking a new role, with employers citing a lack of talent as the number one threat to growth.
At the same time, the number of young people moving to the Channel Islands is rapidly increasing based on three core factors: security, job opportunities and tax implications. Jersey’s population increased to around 105,000 towards the end of 2025, while Locate Guernsey highlighted an increase in the number of families relocating and younger people operating in tech and entrepreneurship.
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What are the main job sectors in the Channel Islands?
As per the latest employment reports for both Islands there’s around 97,380 workers currently employed across the region; 65,320 in Jersey and 32,060 in Guernsey. These represent some of the highest figures ever recorded and show that, while experts believe there’s room for growth, the Channel Islands still have a relatively strong labour market.
According to Statistics Jersey, the largest sectors on Jersey island are financial and legal activities, private education and health, wholesale, retail and construction. Financial and legal activities is the largest sector by a large margin, contributing 13,900 jobs to the wider Jersey jobs market.
The picture in Guernsey is similar, where the largest job sectors are finance and insurance activities, public administration and defence, wholesale and construction. Both finance and public admin contribute around 6,000 roles each to the Guernsey jobs market and also represent the fastest growing sectors across the Channel Islands.
It stands to reason then, that these industries are the reason why the private sector has rapidly grown over the last six years. Between 2019 and 2025, over 710 new jobs were introduced into Jersey’s private sector, mainly across professional services. Likewise, Guernsey saw an increase of around 1,932 jobs between 2020 and 2025, although the data is split between the public and private sector.
Our experience here at Alexander Daniels supports a similar rhetoric, we helped place over 300 candidates with 180 clients during 2025 alone, highlighting the rapid growth across the Channel Islands and demand for talented professionals.
What are some of the major businesses in the Channel Islands?
The Channel Islands is home to some of the biggest businesses in the world, including household names with major offices, exciting start-ups and local small businesses that have rapidly expanded.
While Jersey and Guernsey are largely recognised for the strength of their established financial businesses, data from Tracxn suggests there are around 350 startups across the Channel Islands, 43 of which are funded companies that have collectively raised £13bn in venture capital.
In terms of global brands with a presence across the Islands, you’ll find names such as Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Deloitte, Grant Thorton and PwC representing the finance sector as well as AFR Advocates, Ogier, LMRR Ltd and Carey Olsen representing the legal sector.
The fastest growing sector in the region is the tech industry. Jersey’s tech GVA (£158 million) outperforms the comparable UK level and there are over 3,000 tech professionals working across 400 digital businesses, all of which is contributing to a strong tech infrastructure.
