After a turbulent 2023 marked by job cuts at major technology companies, the outlook for IT professionals in the UK could look brighter in 2024. Tech workers looking for new jobs may find there is a particular demand for artificial intelligence and cloud expertise, as well as a need for soft skills around communication and team management.

Is there a IT skills shortage in the UK?

The UK has a long-standing IT skills shortage. Around two million people in the UK British work in engineeringbut there is still a need for more.

According to the British government, the level of “Skilled labor shortage – vacancies” This means that the inability to fill a position due to applicants’ lack of skills, qualifications or experience is very high in the information and communications sector; It rose from an already high 25% in 2017 to 43% in 2022, the latest year for which data is available. And there is plenty of evidence that the skills shortage in the IT sector continues. Although the intensity of the shortage varies from year to year, there is clearly a long-term need for more technical staff in the UK

Research by Amazon Web Services in 2023 found that more than two-thirds (68%) of UK companies were struggling to recruit the digital workforce they needed, and 45% said this was due to a lack of qualified candidates. A separate recent survey by Gigged.AI found that 91% of respondents to its UK survey had struggled with an issue Shortage of technical specialists To a certain degree; About a third (34%) said they are facing a major to very major shortage of technical talent.

What are the most in-demand tech jobs and skills in the UK in 2024?

The most in-demand tech jobs in the UK

Six tech jobs created LinkedIn’s jobs on the rise in 2024 List of the 25 most in-demand jobs in the UK.

• Artificial Intelligence Engineer (#7 on LinkedIn list).
• Analyst in the Security Operations Center (No. 10).
• Cyber ​​Security Manager (#11).
• Cyber ​​Security Architect (#15).
• Data Governance Manager (#16).
• Data Engineer (#25).

Other jobs on the top 25 list also had something to do with technology, such as sustainability manager at No. 1, chief revenue officer at No. 4 and demand generation manager at No. 8.

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According to the Salary Guide 2024 According to research by recruitment firm Robert Half, the most in-demand permanent tech jobs in the UK are:

• Full stack developer.
• ERP/CRM engineer.
• Head of IT.
• Cloud infrastructure engineer.
• Cyber ​​Security Analyst.

According to Robert Half, the most in-demand contract engineering jobs in the UK are:

• Project manager for ERP/CRM implementation.
• Infrastructure manager.
• Network engineer.
• First-line support.
• Second-line support.

The most in-demand technical skills in the UK

According to research by Robert Half, the most in-demand technical skills for 2024 in the UK are:

• Cloud computing, including Amazon Web Services, Azure and Google Cloud.
• Microsoft Dynamics.
• Netsuite.
• JUICE.
• Python.
• SQL.

Kris Harris, regional director of UK technology solutions at Robert Half, told TechRepublic in an email that there is also strong interest in cybersecurity, machine learning and AI, data processing and storytelling, including manipulation and visualization. Additionally, user experience design and cloud skills remain popular skills among employers. He said there has been a slight decline in on-premise infrastructure and networking skills, which are largely being replaced by cloud skills.

“The increase in cloud-based resources is also reducing some of the need for data center staff as well as those with physical machine management roles. Looking forward, it is likely that we will also see a decline in traditional network engineering/systems administration requirements as we move toward more data, cyber and cloud requirements,” said Harris.

What is the highest paid IT job in the UK?

Chief Information Officer tops the list of highest paid IT jobs in the UK, with many salaries ranging between £105,000 and £176,000; However, the positions of Chief Technology Officers, Chief Information Security Officers and Chief Architects have similar salary ranges depending on the size of the organization. By comparison, a front-end developer can expect to earn anywhere between £44,000 and £76,000, according to Robert Half data.

What is the outlook for IT jobs in the UK in 2024 and beyond?

Harris said there will continue to be a high demand for skilled technology resources, largely driven by SME companies.

“Enterprise platform improvements, data optimization and the continued need for business technology advancement will remain. We are currently seeing sectors such as SaaS, education, healthcare, financial services and retail, as well as government, all investing in technology development and we do not expect this to change any time soon,” he said.

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Recruitment firm Nash Squared said an emerging trend that could become more common in the coming years was part-time work. This is essentially the case where a person works on a freelance or contractor basis but at the same time has a portfolio of part-time jobs.

“It’s an established mode for certain senior roles – such as a part-CISO or CIO – but it’s also starting to expand into the lower echelons of the workforce to include more junior roles,” said Andy Heyes, managing director UK&I and Central Europe at Harvey Nash, part of Nash Squared.

“By hiring a partial manager, companies can use their professional skills more efficiently, increasing efficiency and reducing resource costs. For many companies, it’s simply a matter of having access to a highly experienced professional who has scars and bruises from having done it before, who knows where the pitfalls are and the tactics that have proven results, and which alone can save a lot “You save time and money and reduce risk,” he told TechRepublic in an email. While this is still relatively rare in the UK, it is more common in Europe, he said.

What tech skills should you learn in 2024?

Tech is a fast-moving industry, meaning what’s hot right now may not be as exciting to employers in a few years. However, it is likely AI, Cloud computing And Internet security will ensure constant demand in the coming years. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the list of top programming languages: Currently pythonC, C++Java and C# are therefore the most popular languages ​​among developers TIOBE index.

Also remember that soft skills are crucial when considering a job change. Building on this will help you future-proof your resume. According to Robert Half, the most in-demand soft skills for tech workers are communication skills, stakeholder management and people management. Additionally, IT managers said it was difficult to find candidates strategic thinking and entrepreneurial skillsso this may be an area where you can excel.