Thames Valley: Region named top in the UK for technology jobs, says KPMG / Markit report

The Thames Valley is home to the number one technology employment cluster in the UK, according to a new joint report by KPMG and Markit. Wokingham, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, Woking and West Berkshire were named as among the top 10 local authorities with the highest proportion of tech workers located within their boundaries. 

The report, which provides for the first time an in-depth geographical snapshot of the UK tech sector employment patterns, reveals that the proportion of tech jobs in the Wokingham local authority area, which is home to large multinational firms in Thames Valley Business Park and Suttons Business Park, is more than five times the British average.

The research shows that the 10 local authorities with the highest proportion of tech workers are all in the South East of England and are all located close to either the M4, M3 or M25 motorways, providing easy access to Heathrow and Gatwick Airport, as well as relatively short train journeys to London.

According to the report, the UK technology sector has outperformed every other industry sector in terms of employment growth over the past 10 years, with growth expectations at tech companies well above UK private sector average, underlining the impact the sector has on the country’s economic performance and the important role tech companies play in the burgeoning recovery.

Tudor Aw, head of KPMG’s tech team in the Thames Valley, commented: “Our new report Tech Monitor UK, the first of an ongoing series, reveals a number of key findings.

"Importantly, it shows that the UK tech sector has generated solid rates of job creation over the past four years and that it has consistently outpaced other UK private sectors in creating jobs since the global financial crisis in 2008/09.

"In terms of business outlook and confidence, we can take heart that tech companies in the UK are bullish about the next 12 months. Optimism is at one of the highest levels since data was first recorded in late 2009 and also continues the trend that tech companies are consistently more upbeat regarding hiring intentions than other UK sectors.

“Perhaps not surprisingly, our report identifies the South East as the key region for technology clusters with the top 10 tech clusters being close to the M4, M3 or M25 motorways. The findings of our report clearly highlight the link between investing in transport infrastructure and attracting businesses and therefore driving growth in the UK economy.”