UK Technology Jobs Market Maintains Strong Annual Growth Despite Recent Signs of Easing, Accenture Research Finds

UK doubles its quantum computing talent on LinkedIn as demand for quantum skills grows

LONDON; 11th Oct., 2022: Demand for technology professionals in the UK has increased by more than 40% in 12 months, despite the technology jobs market easing in the first half of 2022, according to the latest UK Tech Talent Tracker from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

The tracker, which analyses LinkedIn’s Professional Network data, found growth in job posts was driven by increased demand for skills in cutting-edge technologies, such as quantum computing (up 203% year-on-year), blockchain (up 74%) and robotics (up 60%). As these technologies evolve, demand for digital ethics professionals has also doubled. In total, there were nearly 134,000 technology jobs advertised in the UK in July 2022.

Much of the growth was driven outside of London, with technology job vacancies increasing year-on-year in Newcastle (up 85%), Brighton (up 40%), and Birmingham (up 25%). Nonetheless, the rapid rise in hiring has shown signs of easing across the UK, with open technology roles declining by 4% in the first half of 2022.

While the pool of UK technology professionals on LinkedIn grew during the pandemic, from 730,000 in early 2020 to nearly 935,000 professionals in July 2022, the current availability of technology professionals continues to be outpaced by demand.

Shaheen Sayed, Accenture’s Technology lead in the UK & Ireland, said, “Demand for technology skills has remained resilient in a turbulent year as organisations continue to push ahead with projects to reinvent their businesses using new technologies such as AI, cloud and extended reality. Despite the recent ease in hiring, finding the best technology talent continues to be a high priority among organisations competing for digital skills in a tight talent pool. Business leaders must also escalate their plans to develop and upskill their existing workforce or risk worsening the inflationary pressures they are already grappling with today.”

Supercomputing Superpower
The findings show the number of UK-based quantum computing scientists on LinkedIn has doubled over the past year, to 14,000 professionals across the country, reflecting a growing focus on quantum-related businesses and job opportunities in the UK. In the first half of 2022, quantum computing was the only technology discipline to see significant growth, with hiring increasing by more than 50%.

Demand for skills in metaverse-related technologies also rose. Extended reality job opportunities increased by 27% over the past twelve months, with nearly 25,000 roles advertised. The highest concentrations are in Leeds (113%), followed by Cambridge (111%), Manchester (103%), and Oxford (100%).

Sayed added, “The UK has been an early leader in quantum computing and the sharp pace with which it is producing quantum computing talent should help it maintain its prominence in the field of supercomputing. These skills will help British industries stay at the forefront of innovation by applying supercomputing to their biggest challenges and fuelling more research and development. Businesses and education institutions must maintain a robust pipeline of world-leading scientists and technologists to remain competitive in emerging areas of technology, including AI, cloud and edge computing, the metaverse and quantum.”

Methodology
Developed by Accenture Research, the Accenture UK Tech Talent Tracker queried emerging technology keywords on the LinkedIn Professional Network in the last week of July 2022. The tracker assesses skills of both existing roles and open positions, querying for nine technologies: data analytics, artificial intelligence, extended reality, blockchain, quantum computing, cyber security, robotics, cloud computing, and ethical/responsible technology. The research covered all the UK, with a focus on the following cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Brighton, Cambridge, Birmingham, Leeds, Oxford and Newcastle.

About Accenture
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