... According to data analysed by smarter job search engine Adzuna for the UK’s Digital Economy Council.
Nearly three million people, or 9% of the UK workforce, are employed in the UK tech industry. Yet with UK tech startups and scaleups raising more money than ever before - £13.5 billion so far in the first half of 2021 - companies across the UK are hiring rapidly, to help grow their businesses. The data shows that the number of advertised tech roles is 42% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with cities including Preston, Cardiff and Edinburgh seeing some of the sharpest increases in hiring.
The UK now has over 42,000 startups and nearly 10,000 corporate tech companies spread across the country who are vying for the industry’s brightest talent. Edinburgh is leading the charge with 30% of all open job roles in the city in the tech sector - the highest of all UK cities. The Scottish capital is closely followed by Reading and Glasgow, with 29% and 28% of all opportunities in the cities in tech respectively.
Data from Adzuna owned Workinstartups.com shows considerable growth in hiring over the last 6 months from a number of tech companies up and down the country. Deliveroo, Gousto, Cazoo & Farfetch are leading the recruitment charge among the homegrown tech companies. All 4 of these scale ups have more than doubled the number of staff they are looking for since May. Facebook, Amazon & Google have also increased recruitment efforts over the summer - there are over 2,000 open technical job vacancies at ‘FAANG’ companies in Britain this September. The full list of who’s hiring in tech can be found here.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “It’s been yet another record-breaking year for UK tech - and that means thousands of high-quality jobs for people across the entire country. The jobs are there. We're working tirelessly to make sure people who want to start careers and businesses in tech are supported with the skills they need to fill them, and to thrive."
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “Companies from Cornwall in the South West to Dundee in the North are growing their digital teams, from large multinationals to burgeoning startups. We’re seeing an uptick in demand for non-tech roles at digital companies too as businesses scale up. The challenge will be ensuring there is enough skilled talent to go around.”