LONDON (Aug. 29, 2023) — More than two million people are employed in the technology workforce across the United Kingdom, with additional job growth expected this year, according to a report from CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
Net tech employment reached an estimated 2,043,622 workers in 2022, a 1% increase over the previous year, CompTIA’s “State of the Tech Workforce UK” report reveals. Employment growth is projected to continue this year, with more than 17,000 net new jobs expected to be created. In the past five years UK tech employment has expanded by more than 75,000 jobs.
“New employment opportunities continue to emerge as our reliance on technology grows,” said Jason Moss, CompTIA’s vice president for global business development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “CompTIA is committed to working with individuals and organisations alike on the education and training that will bring more people into this community of creators and innovators.”
Women continue to be underrepresented in the tech workforce. While women account for approximately 49% of the total workforce, they represent just 17% of tech occupations. By comparison, in the United States women represent 26% of tech occupations.
“Narrowing this gender gap is critical if we are to meet the growing demand for technology workers,” said Estelle Johannes, senior director, member communities, CompTIA. “The same is true for individuals from other groups currently underrepresented in the tech workforce. My making hiring practices more inclusive, offering mentorship programs and providing proper measures of encouragement, these individuals are more than able to work in cybersecurity, software development, IT infrastructure and other tech occupations.”
Tech jobs continue to command a premium salary with a median wage higher than the prevailing median wage across the labor market.
Median wage for tech worker (Compared to national median wage)
England
£42,758 (55 percent higher)
Northern Ireland
£34,524 (46 percent higher)
Scotland
£39,937 (49 percent higher)
Wales
£35,244 (43 percent higher)
The tech industry has an annual economic impact of £82.6 billion – about 5.5% of the total UK economy. Net tech employment accounts for 6.3% of the overall workforce. Five metro areas have a higher concentration of net tech employment than the national figure.
Metro Area - Tech employment concentration
London - 9.0 percent
Leeds - 8.5 percent
Edinburgh - 8.2 percent
Birmingham - 6.7 percent
Bristol - 6.4 percent
CompTIA’s estimate of net tech employment is based on two primary components. The first is the number of technology professionals working in technical positions regardless of industry sector. This includes jobs such as IT support, network engineering, software development, data science and related roles. An estimated 51% of technology professionals are employed by tech companies and 49% by companies in other industries.
The second component consists of the business professionals employed by technology companies. These professionals work in sales, marketing, finance, HR, operations, management and other disciplines that play a key role in supporting the development and delivery of the technology products and services used throughout the economy. These workers account for 31% of net tech-employment.
CompTIA’s “State of the Tech Workforce UK” provides an in-depth look at employment, economic impact, technology trends, salaries, hiring activity and more across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as 13 metropolitan areas across the UK. The report is available at https://www.comptia.org/content/research/state-of-the-tech-workforce-uk.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Each year CompTIA, directly and through its global network of partners, provides millions of people with training, education and certification. To learn more visit https://www.comptia.org/
