A quarterly survey from specialist IT recruitment site CWJobs.co.uk shows that both permanent and contract IT jobs number grew across all UK regions during the second quarter of 2013. Permanent placements rose +0.7% and contract jobs rose +1.3%

London’s so-called ‘Tech City’ initiative is proving successful, and driving established companies and start-ups to set up in the East London area; however, this new data indicates that other clusters of technologies firms in the UK could be driving nationwide growth.

Vacancies in London reported modest growth with 9,886 job vacancies posted in the quarter, a rise of +2.4% compared with the second quarter last year.  Vacancies across Scotland grew +7.9%, with growth of +4.6% in Southern England, and the West and Wales, both growing +3.1%. These areas are leading regional growth and providing opportunities for professionals working outside of the capital city.

In the west, Bristol has been positioned as a computer gaming hub, while Cambridge’s “Silicon Fen” is reported to be foundation of many of Britain’s most influential technology companies. Meanwhile, Scotland has also been making its name as a technology start-up capital, being home to a number of budding companies that are making moves to become influential industry players, such as SkyScanner, the fast growing online airfare tracker. 

Richard Nott, Website Director, CWJobs, stated: “As investment in technology firms increases, there is less need for professionals to be based in the capital city, giving professionals the opportunity to work across many different regions.  This is good news for the industry and for the prospects of IT professionals across the UK who may no longer need to consider re-locating to get the best jobs. As IT’s position as an inherently ‘networked industry’ grows, it’s likely this trend will continue.”

Driven by ongoing developments in e-commerce, the retail and manufacturing sectors have seen the greatest increase in IT vacancies in the last quarter, growing +6.5% and +9.3% respectively. The growth of software houses has slowed slightly on the quarter, rising just +2.7% between Q2 2013 and Q2 2012.

Skills within the industry are also evolving, and the latest data has shown greater demand for professionals skilled in ASP and .Net, while previous in-demand skills, such as SQL, HTML, and C have seen decreases across permanent roles. Demand for .NET in particular has seen unprecedented demand, driven by growing numbers of web-based services and applications, as more businesses move to operate online.