The labour market data used in this press coverage was extracted from Vacancysoft Analytics. For more information, or to book a demo, click here.
Tech companies posted more IT vacancies in 2021 than all British businesses combined in 2020, according to a report by the recruitment consultancy Robert Walters and data analytics firm Vacancysoft.
It found that new vacancies for IT professionals grew by 105% on 2020 levels, with more than 12,800 new vacancies posted last year.
It comes as the UK tech industry attracted a record £29bn in investment, with £18.5bn of funding going to London-based companies.
The bumper year has provided companies with the funds to expand teams in a highly active job market.
Technology, media and telecoms (TMT) companies accounted for 53.8% of all new IT vacancies in England and Wales, the report found, which is an uptick of 3.5% year on year.
JPMorgan posted the most IT vacancies in 2021, with the investment bank looking for over 2,600 new IT professionals.
Meanwhile, e-commerce giant Amazon showed increased its IT job postings by 61.4%, but slipped to fourth place as Sky and Version 1 took up the second and third spots, respectively.
Out of the top 10 recruiters for IT experts, DXC Technology witnessed a notable 360% YoY vacancy growth. The rising two companies Advanced and CGI, however, also exhibited notable growth by posting 424.8% and 598.9% year-on-year vacancies, respectively.
London is still the hub for IT vacancies as it hosts 47.5% of all new jobs. However, the south became the second-largest region for IT jobs with a 95% YoY increase and accounting for 26% of all IT roles. IT jobs grew significantly in Wales as well with hiring levels up by 121.8% YoY.
As for tech roles, software development and engineering specialists were in demand as recruitment levels were up at 88.2% year on year. A notable rise was witnessed in IT support roles with 151.5% increase, while hiring for IT security experts experienced the smallest growth with a 70% year-on-year increase.
James Chaplin, CEO at Vacancysoft, said: “Tech companies in the UK will expect sales, investment and headcount to grow this year. But it looks unlikely this unprecedented growth in new jobs can be maintained — especially if the industry’s call for the government to provide greater support for R&D, better training and improved access to talent goes unheeded.”