Tech hiring expert stresses crucial need to focus on skills development ahead of London Tech Week
Ahead of London Tech Week, specialist recruitment firm, Robert Half, has highlighted the need for skills development to be prioritised if the UK’s position as the third leading tech economy is to be maintained or improved.
In the expert’s own analysis of trends and data across the tech landscape, it highlighted the powerful position the UK is already in, with the country home to more high-growth tech companies than any other European destination.
Related: Top 5 UK tech jobs 2024
With the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport also published information that suggests the UK retained its top spot as a tech leader in Europe and came third globally, it’s clear that the country has cemented its position as a leading tech nation.
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Robert Half warns that UK’s position as a tech leader could weaken unless the skills agenda is prioritised across the country.
However, as Craig Freedberg, Regional Director at Robert Half highlighted, skills development and talent attraction are becoming increasingly tough:
“The UK – and in particular, London – is a stronghold for technological innovation and is home to a vast number of specialist businesses that have gone from strength-to-strength in recent times. I think it’s all too easy to underestimate just how prolific the UK tech scene is at the moment, particularly in a post-Brexit landscape where the country’s overall strength as a destination of choice for many tech professionals has, according to some commentators, been impacted.
“Our analysis shows that the UK is still thriving, but we also know that skills shortages are increasingly putting this at risk. We may have seen plans outlined in the Chancellor’s Budget earlier this year to boost skills development in the technology sector, but if we are to maintain the position we have worked so hard to secure, everyone needs to play their part.
“As London Tech Week approaches, I implore everyone in the sector to consider what tactics they can implement to help boost the UK’s tech skills, whether that’s supporting training and development for those looking for a sideways step into tech, making a commitment to boosting diverse hiring in their tech teams or, as individuals, taking time out to help mentor others in the remit.
Perhaps one perfect example of initiatives that firms can get involved in is the Amazon Web Services (AWS) re/Start programme, which aims to upskill underrepresented or underemployed groups with the necessary skills for them to succeed in entry-level tech roles. An inclusive part of the AWS re/Start’s mission has been to address the gender imbalance we currently see within the technology space; the initiative has supported female-only cohorts and continues to empower these communities to help women progress faster. Across 2022
Robert Half built an inclusive and diverse pipeline of AWS re/Start talent by connecting over eighty businesses and candidates, forty-six per cent of whom were women.”
The impact of tech on uk's economy
The combined value of UK tech companies has reached $1 trillion.
The UK is the third country in the world to pass this milestone after the US and China.
Fintech accounted for half of all UK funding in 2022. With London raising more fintech investments than any other global hub.
It has been estimated that AI could add an additional $756 billion to the UK economy by 2035.
UK has more high-growth companies than its European peers having created 144 unicorns. 237 futurecorns and over 85,000 startups.
UK companies are increasingly hiring for entry-level tech roles, as they seek to bring in new generation of tech talent and develop them into future leaders.
London has the highest proportion of females working in tech (28.4%) followed by the South East of England with 27.7%.
Upskilling an reskilling have become a key part in the UK's dominance in tech with nearly 3,000 edtech startups having raised a collective $1.86 billion in funding over the past 5 years.
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