Digital Technology forms a huge part of Britain’s economy and is set to increase over the next few years. According to The Tech Nation 2016 report, the sector already accounts for over 1.5 million jobs, and job creation is almost 3% faster than the rest of the economy. With this kind of growth comes demand for highly skilled individuals who are adept at all things technological.
What is it? The digital tech economy can be broken up into both digital and traditional industries. Whilst the digital industry is focused on programming or publishing games, the traditional sector uses technologists for a number of operating functions.
Employees can be broken down into three categories; there are those who work in digital roles in digital sector, traditional roles in this sector and digital roles in the non-digital industry. All of these different roles are included within the report.
Growth
Between 2008 and 2014, which of course was the period of recession, the digital economy grew by almost £20bn. The largest sector specialism within the digital sphere was application and software development. In terms of the more traditional fields, the biggest demand for digital gurus was in the field of marketing, public relations, and design. In 2014 the estimated turnover of the digital tech industry was in the region of £161bn.
Location
The digital economy is all over the UK, but some areas are benefitting much more than others. London has by far and away the most digital jobs in the UK – but they are not the most productive. That title goes to Bristol and Bath, where sales per worker was at a UK high of £296,340. Southampton is also steadily climbing the list, with the 4th highest sales per worker as well as one of the fastest growing salaries.
Jobs
Employment is slowly changing thanks to the growing influence of the digital economy. When it comes to digital tech jobs there are actually more in traditional fields then exclusive digital sectors. The gap is narrowing but it shows how quickly traditional industries are adapting to the pace of change. The number of jobs grew by 11% over the recession, whilst the average throughout British businesses was only 4%. The demand for highly skilled individuals is also driving wages up. Some areas saw almost a 30% rise in the amount advertised, with the national average salary around the £50,000 mark.
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