Emerging Trends in Tech Jobs
Jobs and employment have been through an unprecedented amount of change over the last few years, and tech jobs are no exception.
An Expanding Workforce
A fast paced and ever-changing economic and political landscape has forced organisations to become more proactive in relation to their technological advances. This has seen companies in sectors that are not traditionally tech-heavy recognise the benefits that investing in technology can bring, therefore, increasing their IT workforce. With evolutions in e-commerce, to the digitisation of business and progress in adoption of technology, IT professionals have become some of the most sought after members of the workforce.
According to a Deloitte article, in 2020, the tech workforce was at 5.5 million. This is growing at an annual rate of 2.2% since 2001. The article notes that even during the pandemic, the tech workforce continued to expand (by 0.7% in 2020). During this time, employment for all other occupations combined fell by 5.5%.
Trends in Tech Job Roles
The information technology industry is made up of various fields related to computers and digital information. Some job roles in this sector, such as engineers and programmers are fairly well established, having been around for some time. However, others, such as, information specialists and data scientists are much newer but are growing in importance due to our increasing reliance on, and interest in, data.
The UK Government reports that software developers were the most in demand tech job across the UK in 2021. These positions made up 9% of all tech jobs.
Tech Jobs in the UK
Tech Nation recently reported that tech roles now make up 14% of all job opportunities in the UK, up from 11% in 2019.
Furthermore, a report from the UK Government details how 2021 was an incredible year for the tech industry. There was a 50% rise in UK tech job vacancies advertised compared to prior year. November 2021 saw 160,887 advertised tech vacancies. Tech vacancies made up 12% of all available roles in the UK.
In terms of geographical spread, the same report reveals Cambridge as the leading regional tech city in the UK, followed closed by Manchester.
Additionally, it’s not just England. All regions are seeing an impact, with the Government documenting how Scotland’s tech sector is also booming. Tech roles increased by over 25% in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2021. In this period, 30% of available vacancies in Edinburgh were in the tech sector. This was the highest of any UK city.
Benefits and Ways of Working
As we’ve seen, recruiting in the tech sector is on the rise. This means that companies will need to go above and beyond to persuade new talent to work with them, and to retain their existing talent. Tech sector candidates know their worth, so expect to be rewarded accordingly.
There have been global increases in tech salaries over the past few years. Plus, some companies offer additional perks to top talent, such as, bonuses, unlimited annual leave and other special benefits.
Probably the most notable benefit in the tech sector is ways of working. Many businesses offer remote or hybrid working arrangements for tech jobs. Plus, a variety of short and long term contracts, project work and one off commissions. Indeed, IT jobs are well positioned to be carried out remotely. This brings the added advantage to hiring organisations that they can search globally and find the right talent, regardless of location.
Looking Ahead
As reliance on technology increases even further, and as digital progress advances, skills in the workforce will need to adapt accordingly. This means additional focus from education providers across STEM subjects. In addition, habits of life-long learning should be encouraged in order to meet the demands of such a fast moving sector.
At Visuna, we understand that in this growing and dynamic industry you need highly skilled IT professionals to support your business. Our dedicated recruitment team provide world-class people solutions across the tech sector.
