More than two million people are employed in the technology workforce across the UK, with additional job growth expected this year, according to a report from CompTIA, the non-profit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
Net tech employment reached an estimated 2,043,622 workers in 2022, a 1 per cent 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.
Jason Moss, CompTIA’s Vice President for Global Business Development for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa said, “new employment opportunities continue to emerge as our reliance on technology grows. 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 per cent of the total workforce, they represent just 17 per cent of tech occupations. By comparison, in the US women represent 26 per cent of tech occupations.
Estelle Johannes, Senior Director, Member Communities, CompTIA added, “narrowing this gender gap is critical if we are to meet the growing demand for technology workers,” said. “The same is true for individuals from other groups currently underrepresented in the tech workforce. By 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 labour market. The tech industry has an annual economic impact of £82.6 billion, about 5.5 per cent of the total UK economy. Net tech employment accounts for 6.3 per cent of the overall workforce. Five metro areas have a higher concentration of net tech employment than the national figure.
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 per cent of technology professionals are employed by tech companies and 49 per cent 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 per cent 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.
