Tech Talent: Map of the UK’s digital clusters

There are more than 1.5 million “digital tech” jobs in the UK, and the sector is said to be growing faster in terms of turnover and productivity than the wider economy.

Those assertions were outlined in a report from the Tech City UK quango and innovation charity Nesta a little while back, which highlighted how many of the innovation-focused enterprises had benefited from clustering together.

What’s striking is that at first glance, the numbers seem to confirm that London’s cluster is well ahead of any other – and indeed the capital hosts several of tech’s better-known names.

But once you combine the data with official population statistics, another picture emerges.

Based on a calculation of how many tech jobs there are per head of the local population, Cambridge, Reading and Bracknell, and Oxford and Abingdon take the lead. It’s no coincidence that all three have universities with strong reputations for science, engineering and computing.

Southampton and Manchester also do well. And Ipswich is another standout, thanks to the fact that many firms there have congregated around the headquarters of BT Research – the telecoms firm’s R&D division.

The figures should still be treated with caution: Tech City UK may have been generous in the way it defined some of the jobs as being tech-related.

And it’s also notable how few of the firms in the list below are the kind of household names you would associate with Silicon Valley.

London Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 328,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: four

Specialisms: Financial tech, social networks, digital media

Foreign-owned firms: Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft

Locally headquartered: Shazam, Transferwise, Deliveroo, Citymapper

Manchester Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 52,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: 10

Specialisms: App development, digital marketing, digital entertainment

Foreign-owned firms: Google, Priceline

Locally headquartered: Apadmi, The Lad Bible, PushDoctor, UKFast

Reading & Bracknell Forest Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 40,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: 14

Specialisms: Cybersecurity, business software, data analytics

Foreign-owned firms: Nvidia, Microsoft, Symantec, Wipro

Locally headquartered: Altitude Angel, Cloud Direct, Fantoo

Bristol & Bath Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 37,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: six

Specialisms: Education tech, semiconductors, video games

Foreign-owned firms: Amazon, HP, Oracle, Unity

Locally headquartered: Opposable Games, Tribal Group, Xmos

Birmingham Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 36,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: three

Specialisms: Business software, Online gambling

Foreign-owned firms: N/A

Locally headquartered: Majestic, Yumzee, Intouch Games

Glasgow Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 26,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: four

Specialisms: Cloud computing, e-commerce, financial tech

Foreign-owned firms: Cloudwick Technology, FanDuel

Locally headquartered: Iomart, M Squared Lasers, SwarmOnline

Oxford & Abingdon Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 25,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: 13

Specialisms: Cybersecurity, cloud computing, video games, health tech

Foreign-owned firms: Proofpoint, Tripadvisor, Zynga

Locally headquartered: Rebellion, Sophos, Oxford Instruments

Southampton Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 25,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: 10

Specialisms: Hardware, e-commerce, data analytics

Foreign-owned firms: Artificial Solutions, Pivotal Software

Locally headquartered: Symetrica, nquiringminds, SPI Lasers

Leeds Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 24,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: three

Specialisms: App development, e-commerce, video games

Foreign-owned firms: Rockstar Games

Locally headquartered: Double Eleven, Sky Bet, Instantcart

Newcastle & County Durham Based Tech Jobs

Digital tech jobs: 22,000

Tech jobs per 100 residents: three

Specialisms: Financial tech, analytics, video games

Foreign-owned firms: Ubisoft, Epic Games, CCP Games

Locally headquartered: Sage, Orchard Systems, Eutechnyx

December 9, 2016 Posted in: Building Businesses, Business Communications, Business Development, Business Finance, Business Growth, Business Jobs, Business Profits, Growing Business, Growing Jobs, Growing Profits, Uncategorized

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Tech Talent: Map of the UK’s digital clusters

There are more than 1.5 million “digital tech” jobs in the UK, and the sector is said to be growing faster in terms of turnover and productivity than the wider economy.