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
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