Despite a decline in the second half of the year for open job vacancies in the UK, 2023 still looks like a great time to be looking for your next IT role. Vacancies remain higher than they ever were pre-pandemic and salaries continue to rise in line with the demand for qualified and skilled IT Professionals.
Our own recruitment work with IT Professionals in the UK across the Network, Infrastructure, Cloud, IT management and Cyber Security industries has shown that while demand for IT Professionals remains high, many IT Professionals are having to move companies to find salaries more in line with their worth.
How Many Tech Jobs Are There in the UK in 2023?
As we move in 2023, we’re seeing power in the hiring process shift slightly from job seekers and IT Professionals to employers. Supply has slowly caught up with the massive surge in demand for IT talent since the pandemic, and employers are tightening their wallets when it comes to spending.
With a potential recession on the horizon, many businesses have sought to cut costs where they can. From past recessions, we’ve seen that recruitment is often the first to go. Which leaves those that continue with their recruitment efforts to tempt the best tech talent.
Despite this slight decline in hiring in the UK, the IT job market still has more open vacancies than seen pre-pandemic. Here at Dynamic, we’ve noticed more and more open vacancies in Network, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Cloud. Areas which have largely remained immune to reductions in job vacancies due to the increasing need for these tech services.
Meanwhile CompTIA’s State of the Tech Workforce 2022 Report estimates that there are around 2 million professionals employed in tech related roles in the UK. This looks only to increase, as employers continue to attempt to catch up to hiring demands caused by the pandemic slowdown.
And great news for employers looking to hire, is that roughly half of IT professionals are looking to move jobs, whether that’s to earn more or to learn more.
With more of the work we do continuing to shift online, the increasing rollout of fibre networking through the UK, and our general technological demands increasing, the demand for skilled IT professionals only increases as well.
Not only does it remain a great time to be an IT Professional in the Network, Cyber and Infrastructure industry, the uk tech job market doesn’t seem likely to slow down much in the future as we recover from the cost-of-living crisis of late 2022.
The Most In-Demand Tech Jobs in 2023
We see changes that happen in the IT job market here at Dynamic as they happen. And as we get into 2023, these are the roles that our clients and the wider IT industry are asking for:
- Data Engineers.
- Cloud Architects.
- Network Engineers.
- Core Network Engineers.
- SOC Analysts/ Managers.
- .Net Developer.
- Service Desk Engineers.
The IT Industry Skills Gap
In recent years the IT industry experienced a growing skills gap, due in part to the pandemic and the subsequent halt on hiring and training of IT professionals. But good news is that statistics show that the IT decision-makers report a decrease in the IT skills gap. In 2021, 76% of IT decision makers worldwide reported a skills gap in their team. In 2022 however, that number fell to 66%: A trend we expect to continue into 2023.
Investments in training by businesses mean good things for both IT professionals and employers. IT professionals are progressing faster in their careers and are able to earn and learn quicker. Meanwhile employers have more opportunities for hiring the tech talent they need.
This also applies to those just starting out in the tech careers. Results from Adzuna show that UK companies hiring for entry-level tech roles rose to 15,000 by the end of 2022, up from 6,596 in November 2021. Tech business leaders recognise the increased need for tech talent, and are investing accordingly.
This is a reality we’ve seen here at Dynamic. More and more of the businesses we work with are emphasising their training and development opportunities and programmes. This includes support with certifications that are so vital to tech careers in the UK.
What IT Skills, Certifications and Vendors are Most in Demand for 2023
The most valuable skills for your career fluctuate from year to year. Demands in the industry change and new technology appears. So while we can offer insight into the most in-demand skills from employers, what is best for your individual career may be different.
But the top investment areas for IT employers remain largely consistent. While they fluctuate in position the top 5 areas largely remain in the top 5.
Here in Europe, the most in-demand skill sets revolve around: Cloud (43%), Cybersecurity (37%), AI and Machine Learning (30%), Infrastructure and Systems (30%), and Data Analysis, Data Management and Data Science (27%).
The most in-demand vendors for IT managers stays largely the same as well. The top areas of investment are: Microsoft (64%), Amazon Web Services (34%), Google Cloud (28%), Cisco (25), and VMware (24%).
What’s best for your career is unique to your individual chosen career path. But, the results are clear and consistent year-to-year. The demand for Microsoft certifications is only increasing, (up from 59% in the previous year) making it a solid area to invest in yourself.
How IT and Tech Salaries Have Changed in 2023
Data shows that IT professionals received significant raises in 2022, increasing by an average of 7%, compared to just 2% in 2021. While this looks like great news for IT professionals, the reality isn’t so pretty. Due to rising inflation and cost-of-living, raises of 7% equate to a real term pay-cut.
Which is one of the reasons we’ve seen so many IT professionals look for new jobs at businesses that will offer them the salaries they want. Here at Dynamic we regularly see IT professionals across Cyber, Network, Infrastructure and Software Development move jobs and receive salary increases of 5 to 10 thousand.
Is your current employer offering you the salary you deserve? Or offering you chances for professional development and career growth? If not, it’s well worth the time to have a look at what’s out there on the market. You can see our open IT job vacancies here,
Unsurprisingly, the top salaries here in the UK follow the most in-demand skills. The highest average salaries (outside of IT executives and administrative functions such as project management, account management, sales etc.) went to IT architecture and design (£67,513), Cybersecurity (£63,896), and Cloud (£53,901).
All three of these job functions remain in the top investment areas for IT employers year-on-year. Meaning these careers will likely only continue to be some of the most highly paid as we look into 2023 and beyond.