Lockdown has led to a tech industry explosion

  • New statistics from specialist tech recruiter Robert Walters reveals that the UK lockdowns have led to a boost to the tech sector, while other sectors haven't fared as well.

    The past year has seen immense challenges for many businesses across Northern Ireland, but the tech sector has fared surprisingly well during the pandemic. Not only has demand for e-commerce and remote working solutions driven a lot of new business to local tech firms specialising in those areas, but the industry as a whole has been able to adapt very quickly to lockdown conditions.

    New statistics from tech recruiter Robert Walters has shown that there's been a virtual tech explosion during lockdown, and it's happening all across the UK. Approximately 1 in 10 new hires throughout the period have been in tech, and there's been a 9x increase in roles moving to permanently fully remote.

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    Tech sector employees were always well-placed to work remotely, with many already having computer equipment at home and having the expertise to develop remote workflows quickly. Statistics show that there's been 37% growth in UK tech scale-ups, and a 14% increase in senior contract hires during the pandemic as firms have been hiring in new skills that they need.

    Cyber-security has been one of the big beneficiaries of lockdown adjustments, as companies have had to procure secure tech for remote workers and arrange secure communications and shared storage. The tech sector showed solid recovery in 2020, with hiring levels roughly matching monthly year-on-year levels.

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    Around 71% of UK professionals surveyed said that the transition to remote work was quick and seamless, with another 19% saying it took just a few days to implement. The number of job vacancies for permanently remote tech staff rose from 1.1% in 2019 to 8.7% in 2020.

    In terms of job roles, recruitment for software engineers and mobile app developers rose sharply in 2020, along with demand for Python and SQL experts. Job growth in firms working with artificial intelligence increased throughout 2020, while hiring for PHP and JavaScript specialists dropped significantly (29.8% and 47.8% respectively). An increase in demand for data scientists working in AI is expected for 2021.

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    Funding for tech firms has increased significantly over the lockdown, with a rise in VC funding and support from the government. Tom Chambers, Associate Director of Technology & Growth at Robert Walters, commented: "There are concerns however for the parts of the country without such levels of funding. And while the British government made commitments around tech investment in its November spending review, it focused more on skills and infrastructure instead of grants and loans for start-ups."

    Tom added: "The UK's tech sector continues to grow at 3 times the rate of the rest of the economy, creating exciting jobs that require a range of skills and talent - but the UK is still facing a major digital skills shortage. With this struggle for businesses to recruit suitable candidates, salaries have been pushed up by 15% year-on year."

    Source: Written based on press release

    About the author

    Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.

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