Booming UK tech sector now accounts for one in eight jobs – and they’re much better paid
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As investment in UK startups soared to £13.5bn in the first six months of 2021, hiring surged across the country, with tech now making up 13 per cent of all UK job vacancies.
While some industries are still grappling with the fallout from the pandemic, the UK’s tech sector is comparatively booming, and companies across the country are hiring rapidly to grow their businesses.
The number of advertised tech roles is 42 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to new Adzuna data for the Digital Economy Council.
Tech and IT-related vacancies accounted for 13 per cent of all advertised jobs in the UK in the first six months of the year, up from 12.3 per cent a year earlier, according to the latest figures.
And those who bag a tech job are more likely to be better paid: the average tech salary is 50 per cent higher than the average for all vacancies in the UK.
But in a report analysing the data, lobby group Tech Nation flagged a “potentially concerning trend, a polarisation of tech and non tech earning potential,” as tech salaries continue on an upward trajectory, while the average salary for all jobs in the UK has decreased in 2021.
Of all tech roles, software developers are consistently the most in-demand from companies across the industry, and make up 9 per cent of all advertised vacancies across the industry. Salaries in this role have increased 27 per cent since 2018, from an average of £39,430 to £50,000.
Data scientists and front-end developers are also in hot demand, and have seen their average advertised salary increase over 30 per cent in the past two years.
As a result of the industry’s rapid high growth, tech now offers better-paid roles than engineering, logistics, teaching and trade. Of these job categories, tech now represents 78 per cent of roles in the salary band £100-150,000 and 57 per cent of roles between £50-70,000.
“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,” said Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries.
“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.”