A Newcastle niche IT recruiter has welcomed a new report that reinforces the ‘seminal’ role digital businesses are playing in boosting the regional economy.SearchBI, which recruits for BI and Agile business technologies, says the Tech Nation 2016* report demonstrates clearly how important the digital tech economy is to regional employment but wants to see funding for ‘high cost’ university tech courses secured.
One of the most comprehensive analysis of the UK’s digital tech industries to date, the report shows that across the North of England, more than 280,000 people are employed in digital industries.
Regionally, Newcastle and Durham generated the second highest advertised digital salary growth of any cluster in the UK at 26.6% with a turnover growth rate of 29% and GVA growth rate of 35%.
Mark Harbottle, director at SearchBI, said it was particularly encouraging to see that software and app development, hardware, devices and open source hardware were now among the most sought after roles.
This he explained reflected the premium that organisations are prepared to place on hiring specialists with the relevant ‘new’ big data and business intelligence skills and experience.
“The digital tech economy is a having a strong impact on the North of England,” said Mark Harbottle. “We are seeing ‘huge’ demand for self-service business IT this year and beyond.
“These together with the ‘dramatic’ increase in cloud-based/analytics solutions’ spend and demand for highly skilled people, are combining to drive even more growth in some of the most dynamic IT sectors.”
Echoing the view of Herb Kim, executive chair of Tech North, Mark Harbottle said that the report demonstrates the extraordinary growth of the region’s digital tech industry and its affect on non-digital industries.
He wants to see funding for training secured as BI and analytics are predicted to reach new heights – as advanced data technologies emerge, businesses will process and store more information than ever before.
“Businesses are looking for a next-generation BI and analytics platform that helps them tap into the power of their data, whether in the cloud or on-premises. This in turn is driving the demand for people at all entry levels, from graduates to highly experienced operatives.
“It’s therefore critical to ensure that funding for what’s seen as ‘high cost’ university subjects such as technology and scientific courses does not drop below current levels in real terms.
“It’s vital that investment in these subjects remains sustainable as we see the role of digital jobs and activity in non-digital industries.
“This will go along way to securing a steady stream of highly educated and talented young people leaving our higher education facilities with the specialist technology skills and acumen to meet the demand and support the wider economy as it grows and expands.”
SearchBI is a dedicated recruitment agency servicing companies using business intelligence software systems and able to support candidates looking for work or employers wanting to recruit skilled talent. More atwww.searchbi.co.uk