Over the last few years, the tech industry has seen unprecedented growth, fuelled by the demand for companies to digitalise their platforms. This was accelerated by the pandemic and the requirement to normalise remote working. During this time (2020-2021) the tech industry grew 42%, pushing its ecosystem to $1 Trillion (£764 b). This summarises the massive demand for tech roles as companies are still looking to innovate by transforming digitally and automating their processes. And as technology advances, the demand for Tech professionals naturally increases with it.
London is the ideal location to seek a tech role as it holds the highest number of tech firms in the UK. It has also cemented its spot as the top tech destination in Europe, it is the biggest European hub for start-up investment so far in 2022 (£9.36b).
Tech professionals seeking roles in London will face a variety of role opportunities offering generous salaries and benefits. Andrew Hunter, Co-Founder at Adzuna said: “Skilled tech workers can enjoy higher than the median salaries for roles such as DevOps and Systems Architecture in London thanks to the high levels of competition amongst start-ups and corporates for staff.”
There is a high demand for abilities such as coding, software development, testing, data analysis etc, due to the requirement for niche skills and tech stacks. More than 2 million tech vacancies were advertised over the last year, more than any other area of the UK labour market. So, you can afford to be picky when faced with job vacancies and expect to receive multiple offers.
Interim and short-term roles
Many companies look to interim hiring resources and accept interim professionals in the struggle to find the tech stack required. And so, short-term or temporary tech roles are also in-demand, plus a great way to work with multiple companies and they usually allow more flexibility than permanent roles.
Show me the money
Fox Business reveals that jobs in IT are some of the best-paid jobs in the world and tech industry trends currently suggest that employers are offering new employees a far higher salary to incentivise them to stay. On average, tech salaries are nearly 80% higher than salaries for non-tech jobs in the UK. At £62,000 compared to £35,000. When it comes to negotiating salary, although discussing money is an uncomfortable subject, remain confident in your knowledge of your professional value, the odds are in your favour. Make sure to negotiate your salary and benefits with an employer so you’re getting the best out of the role. Salaries, bonuses, flexible working and good pension offerings should be up for negotiation. Becoming familiar with tech-industry salary trends will be useful as you are getting a realistic view of what you should be earning. Also, you can use it to identify which are the most needed skills currently and if you have them. Don’t forget to sell your strengths and give examples to help them understand why they need you above others for this role.
Some of the best-paying IT roles currently are:
• Software Developers: taking up 9% of all tech jobs, offered an average salary of £63,318 (a 12% increase on 2020s figures).
• DevOps Engineers: earn on average £83k in London. UKTech news declared DevOps Engineers one of the top 5 most in-demand tech roles.
The aim of DevOps is to create a culture where building, testing and releasing software can happen efficiently, safely and productively. Learn more about becoming a DevOps Engineer in What is a DevOps Engineer and How to Become One.
