Numbers of jobs in digital technology soar

Unemployment may be rising in many traditional sectors of the UK economy, but not in digital technology, which has seen a 36 per cent increase in vacancies from June to August, according to the latest Jobs and Skills report from Tech Nation, the UK network for entrepreneurs. The sector advertised more than 90,000 a week in August.

That’s second only to healthcare for the number of jobs advertised.

And Bristol has seen the highest salary increase across digital tech roles, from £35,250 in 2019 to £40,000, although that’s still lower than the median salary in Reading, which is £42,500. In Oxford it is just £38,000, according to the employment website Adzuna.

Digital technology now accounts for nine per cent of the UK workforce, employing 2.93 million people.

In 2019, the role of software developer was one of the top five sought-after roles across UK cities, amongst key worker roles such as nurses or social care workers.

Over the past three years, the demand for cyber, cloud and artificial intelligence (ADI) skills has soared.

AI and Cyber grew by 44 per cent and 22 per cent respectively year on year.

Although there is a concern about the lack of digital tech skills within the UK and a greater push into getting the workforce and future generations equipped for an ever growing digital world, there are important roles that sit within tech teams and companies, which are pivotal to the success of delivery and growth of products and companies.

Client management and onboarding are some of the key skills for a Customer Success Manager. While assurance, testing and creating automations are key skills for a Product Quality Inspector.

And it’s not just British talent who wants to work in the digital sector, Tech Nation has seen a 48 per cent increased in applications from overseas wanting to make their mark in the sector.

Trecilla Lobo, Senior Vice President of People at BenevolentAI and a Tech Nation Board Director, said: “The UK tech ecosystem continues to contribute to the creation of jobs and to innovative products and services. The Tech Nation Visa enables the UK tech sector to maintain its competitive advantage by attracting the best talent in specialist skills in tech, research and AI and a more globally diverse perspective to help us innovate and create amazing products and services.”

“As an immigrant to the UK in my late teens, the UK visa scheme has enabled me to bring my experience, expertise and contribute to the people agenda for tech scale-ups in the UK, and helped me build a successful career in tech. I am really excited that the Tech Nation Visa will open opportunities and streamline the visa process for future global tech talent.”