London Demand for Skills in Emerging Technology Threatens to Create ‘North-South’ Talent Divide, Accenture finds
UK has 422,000 professionals with skills in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain
162,000 job vacancies currently advertised that require skills in these technologies
Despite growing opportunities in other cities, London has more demand for this talent than ten other UK cities combined
LONDON; 22 August 2019 – New analysis of the UK’s jobs market by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has found there are currently 422,000 UK-based professionals with skills in emerging technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, extended reality and quantum computing.
The Accenture UK Tech Talent Tracker analysed LinkedIn’s Professional Network data and found that that 37% of UK professionals (155,000) cite their current location as London. This is predicted to grow as a further 63,000 jobs in emerging technologies are being advertised in the capital.
This is higher than the combined number of jobs in emerging tech available in ten other UK cities including Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Liverpool. With tech salaries on average 10% higher than other roles, the concentration of technology professionals in London threatens to further widen the wealth and skills gap between the South East and the rest of the country.
Zahra Bahrololoumi, head of Accenture Technology in the UK & Ireland, argues that this does not have to be the case: “London is currently the default choice for many, but we want to prove that the capital is far from the only option. Availability of talent is one of the biggest factors in establishing a successful technology business. We’ve found that there’s so much of this talent in other cities, but it’s being overlooked. Once businesses realise the potential and bring more opportunities to people in other cities, we can create a tech economy that benefits the entire country, rather than just London.”
Accenture’s research shows that, outside of London, Manchester and Bristol both have an existing supply of talent that’s ready to service five emerging technologies: data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, extended reality and quantum computing. Most of these technologies are identified in the Accenture Technology Vision 2019 as being poised to deliver the next wave of business growth and innovation as enterprises head into a “post-digital era,” a world in which becoming digital itself is no longer a competitive advantage.
Certain regions are also emerging as specialist technology hubs. Cambridge has the second largest pool of AI talent in the country, due to its strong collaboration between academics and entrepreneurs. Brighton is also establishing itself as a creative centre, with 13% of its technology professionals working on extended reality. Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle all have significant pools of data analytics professionals.
We see these emerging technologies as being crucial for the future of British business,” continued Bahrololoumi. “As we head towards a post-digital era, having the ability to combine these technologies will create a step-change in what can be achieved, enabling businesses to create people-first experiences that truly differentiate them. Companies will need to tap into a range of different talents and having professionals with varied skills at their fingertips makes these cities stand out.”
Chris Gray, managing director at Accenture, based in Manchester, commented: “The UK’s technology sector is currently growing one-and-a-half times faster than other industries, so there’s a huge opportunity to close the divide. We have ourselves set up many regional hubs, with Manchester and Edinburgh amongst the biggest. These findings should be a signal for both tech professionals and companies alike that there are exciting opportunities ahead.”
All statistics included are from the UK Tech Talent Tracker research unless otherwise stated
Methodology
The Accenture UK Tech Talent Tracker was developed by Accenture Research and queried emerging technology key words on the LinkedIn Professional Network in May 2019. It assessed skills of both existing roles and open positions. The query was run for the following six technologies: data analytics, artificial intelligence, extended reality, blockchain, quantum computing, plus ethical/responsible technology. The survey captured all of the UK, with a focus on the following cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Brighton, Cambridge, Birmingham and Newcastle.
The sources accessed to build the analysis chiefly include LinkedIn Professional Network pages, as well as leading news articles, accessed from Dow Jones Factiva (a leading news database) and online technology & business magazines, as well as government reports and relevant investment bank reports.
About Accenture
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