UK tech industry’s breadth highlighted in new report
Demand for remote tech workers remains strong across the country
LONDON – A new report on the U.K. technology industry from CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, has revealed that Bristol is the best place to be for those working in the sector.
A robust technology community, on pace to add more than 500 net new jobs next year, and an affordable cost of living, propelled Bristol to the top of the 2022 UK Tech Town Index, a study published by CompTIA which ranks the regions that offer the strongest combination of expanding career options for IT professionals and favourable quality of living traits.
Rounding out the top five cities are Manchester (No. 2), Cambridge (No. 3), Birmingham (No. 4), and Nottingham (No. 5). While dropping to No. 6 this year, London is still home to more tech-related jobs than all other top cities in the report.
This year’s report also revealed that remote tech jobs continue to play a major role in the industry. There were more than 121,800 job postings for remote, or partially remote, tech positions in the UK during the second quarter of 2022, up more than 34% compared to the same three months last year. As it stands, around 1 in 3 of all tech jobs (more than 444,600) were advertised as remote, or partially remote, during the last 12 months.
“Each of these cities and towns offer a host of opportunities for technology professionals and a great deal of choices for an ideal work-life balance, whether you are already in the industry or you’re looking for new career opportunities,” said William Remes, vice president, EMEA, at CompTIA. “As the Tech Town Index shows, the UK is home to several growing tech communities that collectively make up one of the largest national tech sectors in the world.”
In addition to projected job growth and affordability, Bristol’s median tech salary of £39,864, is 46% higher than the median wage across all occupations and contributed to its No. 1 ranking this year. Employers in the Bristol metro area such as Dyson and Oracle are constantly looking for software developers and engineers, IT support specialists, systems engineers and architects, IT project managers and web developers, the study found.
Manchester posted 61,163 open technology jobs over the past year and the city is expected to add another 442 jobs in 2023. While the median tech salary ranks in the bottom half of the index at £38,685, the figure is still 42% higher than the median wage across all occupations. Top skills requested in Manchester are SQL, software development, JavaScript, tech support, Microsoft developer tools and the all-important professional skills of teamwork and collaboration.
Part of the Golden Triangle, including Oxford and London, Cambridge has a reputation as being the home of a flourishing life sciences tech industry. The report found that companies in the city are seeking employees with skills in software development, scripting languages (C and C++), and technical support. The median tech wage is £41,625, which is 53% higher than the overall median wage
Findings on the rest of the top 10 include:
No. 4 Birmingham
No. 5 Nottingham
No. 6 London
No. 7 Edinburgh
No. 8 Leeds
No. 9 Leeds
No. 10 Newcastle
CompTIA’s UK Tech Town Index is designed to help IT professionals and others make educated decisions about where to live and work based on employment opportunities, livability factors and opportunity costs. Factors such as the number of locally posted IT job postings, projected job growth and reported cost of living in travel to work areas (TTWAs) across the UK were evaluated.
The complete report with hiring projects, salaries and cost of living figures is available at https://connect.comptia.org/content/research/uk-best-tech-cities-it-jobs.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce. Visit https://www.comptia.org/.
Steve Ostrowski
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
(630) 678 - 8468
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Roger Hughlett
Director, Corporate Communications
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Access Now$2 trillion – Estimated direct economic impact of the U.S. tech industry, representing 8.8% of the national economy.
582,000 – Number of tech business establishments in the U.S.
9.1 million – U.S. net tech employment at the end of 2022.
286,400 – Estimated number of new technology jobs added in the U.S. in 2022.
4.1 million – Number of postings by U.S. employers for tech job openings during 2022.
