North East Tech Sector Insights Report: The top sectors hiring for tech individuals

The tech sector is witnessing rapid growth and is expected to continue at a rate of 6.2%. This brings a surge of opportunity, reshaping not only the job market but the broader economic landscape.

As technology becomes increasingly integrated into workplaces, the demand for digital skills increases. But what impact is this having on the North East of England?

Tech Talent Engine, in collaboration with Sunderland Software City, worked with Geek Talent to investigate job statistics within the tech sector in the North East.

Let’s discuss some of the findings from the report:

• Tech is prevalent across various sectors, not just the traditional IT/ digital sector.
• Job postings for tech roles grew 40% from 2021 to 2022.
• The North East of England has a higher proportion of people employed in the public sector.
• Employers are offering attractive benefits such as hybrid/ remote work to retain talent.
• There are opportunities for growth in tech roles across non-tech sectors.
• Collaboration can help an ecosystem of businesses, education providers and job seekers.

The technology sector has evolved vastly, employing close to 35,000 people in over 3,500 creative and digital businesses. This generates close to 2 billion gross value addition (GVA).

To support this growth, including helping employers retain talent and attract the right candidates into their organisation, monitoring key trends is essential. For example, evolving job titles and roles, such as data scientists, cyber security specialists and AI engineers, have emerged, reflecting the industry's adaptability to market needs.

This means that employers face a unique opportunity to use upcoming data to invest in continuous learning programs, adapt job titles and stay ahead of advancements and industry trends.

Jill McKinney, Director of Service Delivery, and a Director at Dynamo North East, said:

The North East Tech Insights report not only reveals the dynamic shifts in the job market but also outlines the key role technology plays across all sectors.

From the Public Sector to Education, Manufacturing and Financial Services, non-tech companies increasingly seek tech talent to drive innovation and efficiency. These findings illuminate a fantastic opportunity for individuals aspiring to tech roles.

That said, here’s what we learned from the North East Tech Sector Insights report.

The myth that tech roles are only prevalent within the sector is proven to be untrue. The data in the report shows that tech is now prevalent across various sectors, not just in traditional tech companies.

While IT/tech sector jobs make up only 2.9% of the North East workforce (vs 4.5% nationally), tech roles are in high demand across many industries. Job postings for tech roles grew 40% from 2021 to 2022.

For example, there are significant numbers of technology roles being advertised in sectors such as Engineering, Wholesale/Retail, Construction, Finance and Manufacturing.

In the Engineering category, there were under 1400 number of job adverts advertised for Programmers and software engineers. This shows the growing integration of technology into various fields, highlighting the increased demand for tech across the board.

One of the key findings from the report demonstrates that the North East of England has the highest shares of employment in the public sector. Organisations such as NHSBSA, DWP and HM Revenue & Customs are well known in the region, contributing to a large proportion of employment.

Similarly, the top online advertiser within the IT and Communications sector is the Department for Work & Pensions, showing the presence of government entities within the tech sector, further emphasising the existence of tech roles within non-tech organisations.

Within the tech sector, we witnessed trends around the top jobs and skills. In-demand roles included DevOps Engineer, Business Analyst, Cloud Engineer, IT Consultant, Data Engineer, Cyber Security, Software Developer, and IT Support.

The salaries for these roles range from the lowest at £26,000 - £33,000 for IT Support to £54,000 - £58,000 for DevOps Engineer. Skills such as Azure, Cloud and Salesforce seem to be prevalent across this industry.

Within this sector, Software development roles account for 33% of IT Sector job demand. However, the title Software Engineer is increasingly replacing Software Developer, although it is still unclear the distinctions between both roles.

The competition for these roles is not based on salary though, working conditions play a crucial element in attracting talent into the business. One example of this includes Atom bank, which recently moved to a four-day working week.

1. Tech is prevalent across various sectors, not just the traditional IT/digital sector. The report shows significant tech hiring happening in sectors like manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and more.
2. The North East has a higher proportion of its workforce employed in the public sector and a lower proportion in the financial/insurance sectors compared to the national average.
3. Top in-demand tech roles include DevOps engineers, business analysts, cloud engineers, IT consultants, data engineers, and software developers. Skills like cloud, security, Agile, and programming languages are in high demand.
4. Employers are offering attractive benefits like remote/hybrid work, flexible schedules (e.g. 4-day work weeks), and a strong work culture to attract and retain tech talent in the region.
5. The report highlights opportunities for growth in tech roles across non-tech sectors, suggesting the need to rethink how we define and categorize "tech jobs" beyond the traditional IT/digital classifications.
6. Collaborating with initiatives like Tech Talent Engine can help businesses in the North East connect with top tech talent and position themselves as thought leaders in the regional tech ecosystem.

The data in this report shows that technology is becoming increasingly pervasive across various industries, including those which are not traditionally technical.

Initiatives such as Tech Talent Engine help to demystify attitudes towards tech careers and bridge the gap between industries and technology. This democratisation of tech skills allows individuals of all backgrounds to contribute and thrive in an increasingly tech-driven economy.

If you’re an employer that is keen to support the growth of the North East tech sector, then get in touch to discuss how you can contribute. For more information about Tech Talent Engine or any of the findings from this report, please contact us at info@techtalentengine.co.uk.