Digital tech sector now accounts for a fifth of all UK job vacancies
Jobs in the digital sector now account for 20 per cent of all vacancies in the UK as the boom in the tech economy shows no signs of slowing down.
There were 1.7m digital tech job openings across the country last year, with tech now a major employer across sectors in some of the UK’s biggest cities.
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Research published by the government’s Digital Economy Council revealed that while London remains a hub for the UK’s digital economy, the tech sector is beginning to spread into new areas.
In Cambridge, half the working population is employed in the digital tech sector, while in Reading the sector employs a third of the workforce.
But now Oxford, Belfast and Newcastle are climbing up the ranks as well, with more than 10 per cent of the population employed in tech.
“We are one of the best places in the world to start and grow a tech business and this new data shows the success is bringing good jobs and helping spread prosperity across the country,” said digital secretary Jeremy Wright.
“We are determined to seize the future opportunities for technology to improve people’s lives by investing heavily to boost the nation’s digital skills.”
The report also highlighted the value of tech jobs, which offer salaries on average 10 per cent higher than other industries.
And while tech-driven roles are at the heart of the boom, the rise of digital tech companies has also driven demand for staff with broader skills such as consulting, accountancy and PR.
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“With over 2.1m people working in digital technology in 2018, the tech economy is bigger than sectors like hospitality and construction,” said George Windsor, head of insights at industry body Tech Nation, which carried out the research.
“However, those lines are increasingly getting blurred, with technology jobs crossing over into the mainstream sectors like financial services and health, helping them evolve and stay competitive and productive.”