Manchester has been placed second in the list of the top 10 cities in the UK for digital technology – but 65% of tech leaders in the overall region are reporting a skills shortage.
Nationally, the tech industry is experiencing its biggest skills shortages in more than a decade, with almost two thirds of Chief Information Officers (64%) reporting a shortfall of talent.
The Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey, the largest IT leadership survey in the world, reveals that almost two thirds of tech leaders in London (63%) are reporting skills shortages, with the figure being 65% of the North West and 63% in the North East.
The North West (49%) topped the league table for its lack of big data/ analytics specialists. Across the UK, Harvey Nash estimates that a further 16,000 big data/analytics specialists are required to fill this growing skills gap.
The top skills shortages in the North West and North East in 2019 were:
- Big data/analytics – 49% in the North West and 38% in North East.
- Developers – 37% in the North West.
- Technical architecture/ enterprise architecture/ IT strategy – 32% in the North East.
- AI/ cyber security – 32% in the North West.
- Automation robotics/ cyber security – 30% in the North East.
Albert Ellis, CEO of Harvey Nash, said: “With technology developing at such a pace, supply just can’t keep up – with the most acute shortages at the top end, in advanced fields such as big data/analytics, cyber security, and AI.