UK techies in demand

While job creation is likely to be one of the many talking points of the upcoming general election, news has emerged that the tech sector is doing quite alright for itself with postings reaching more than 365,000 for the first quarter of the year.

According to new research from IT trade association CompTIA, the amount of tech-related positions that have been advertised has increased by nearly 90,000 this quarter. The total figure means that tech made up 14 per cent of the the 2.7 million jobs posted in the first quarter. Compared with this time last year, IT job postings have increased by four per cent. 

It should be noted though that not every job posting results in a hire and that companies may list the same job multiple times. That said, the data gives a strong indication of where companies are focusing their technology investments.

If one thing can be gathered by this it is that the tech sector is consistently growing in importance to the UK economy. This was highlighted in a recent report from TechUK, which found that the nation received £6.8 billion of tech investment in 2016, 50 per cent higher than any other European country.

Graham Hunter, vice president for Europe and the Middle East at CompTIA, stated that the UK must ensure it has a workforce capable of filling these positions in order to maintain the digital economy:

“It is positive to see that the technology sector is playing such a key role in producing jobs across the country and the growing investment in the nation’s digital economy highlights how the IT industry is contributing to a prosperous UK marketplace.

“We must do everything we can to keep this growth going. An increase in the availability of technology positions means that the UK needs to be producing a workforce with the abilities to meet this demand. There is also the issue of Brexit. With Article 50 now being triggered and the process of the UK leaving the EU now underway, we will have to demonstrate to organisations outside the UK that we have the ability to remain competitive in the global market.

“One way we can do this is by demonstrating to firms looking for places to set up business that the UK can provide them with a high quality and capable workforce. The UK needs to be collaborating with global and renowned industry bodies to provide those studying technology courses or on apprenticeships with relevant certifications that provide an internationally-recognised benchmark. This will help ensure we have a highly-trained pool of IT talent that can meet these organisations’ needs, securing the nation’s status as a technological hub and assure that businesses continue to invest here going forward,” he added.