The number of IT vacancies in the UK has grown 12% year-on-year as more businesses move towards digital transformation, according to a new report.
The Robert Walters UK Job Index released figures that show the growth of the UK tech industry has risen by 12% in Q1 of 2017 when compared with Q1 of the previous year.
Within these new roles Software Engineers were one of the most highly sought employees, representing 14% of the total demand, and mid level IT managers accounted for 4%.
Ahsan Iqbal, Associate Director, Robert Walters said: “The UK it sector has enjoyed strong steady growth over the past several years and was largely resistant to the slowdown in hiring seen by other sectors in the midst of political and economic uncertainty last year.”
“However, the start of 2017 has nevertheless see a significant increase in IT hiring, with developers particularly sought after. Demand from startup firms in fin tech has played a significant role in this, in addition to large established companies investing heavily in cyber security.”
The news of this growth is hardly surprising as currently the UK technology sector is currently worth over £100 billion and is growing at almost twice the rate as the rest of the economy. The last six months has also seen further commitment to the UK from Facebook, Snap, Amazon, and Google from the expansion of their businesses within the country.
The need for companies to effectively manage their cyber security is also of utmost importance. Recent figures from the British Chamber of Commerce have shown that as many as 1 in 5 companies were hit by cyber attacks last year, with big businesses having a 42% chance of being targeted by hackers.
The push for IT professionals with strong technical skills is one of the biggest driving points of these vacancies, but businesses are also increasingly on the lookout for IT managers. Particularly, mangers who understand that IT policy works best when integrated with other departments of the company.
Iqbal said: “IT professionals with strong technical proficiency are highly sought after by firms across a range of industries, but IT managers with effective communication and stakeholder management skills are in particularly high demand.”
“As effective cyber security policies become an increasingly high priority, the ability for IT teams to liaise with other areas of the business to develop effective strategies is becoming increasingly vital.”
The UK government has also planned further investment in the form of a £1 billion tech investment fund to create jobs and increase living standards.
