IT sector keeps Britain working with vacancies for tech professionals up 52%

Vacancies up 52% in second half of 2020
- Tech sector IT roles up 38.5% year-on-year
- Online shopping boom places Amazon as top hirer

Despite the impact Covid-19 has had on recruitment activity, professional IT vacancies fared considerably well in the second half of 2020, with the number of jobs available rising 52% when compared to the first half of the year. That’s according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the recruitment sector.

Remote working and tech innovation drives demand

The data, provided by business intelligence specialist Vacancysoft, revealed that the increased requirement for tech professionals to keep Britain working, learning and connected during the pandemic resulted in demand for IT talent intensifying between the first and second half of the year rising by 52%. In addition, the data revealed that IT vacancies increased by 6% when comparing the second half of 2019 and the same period in 2020, demonstrating how remote working practices have become the ‘new normal’.

Looking specifically at IT hiring across different industries, APSCo’s data revealed that the technology arena was the largest to employ IT professionals in 2020, with 38.5% of all new IT jobs filled here alone. While this reflects a 3.2% dip year-on-year, it was the smallest drop across all of the industries, and with record investment into the industry in recent times, vacancies will likely see dynamic growth over the coming months.

Amazon most active hirer as consumers switch online

Across the companies hiring for IT talent in 2020, online retailer Amazon topped the employer table with over 1,117 new jobs representing a 39.2% year-on-year increase. The online retail giant has seen profit margins soar in recent months as people stay away from the high street, instead turning to online shopping. Meanwhile, vacancies at games developer, Ubisoft, jumped 267.8% year-on-year, with the firm employing 434 IT professionals in 2020 which is perhaps an inevitable consequence of the current socially distanced times.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo comments:

“The fact that IT vacancies performed so well between the first and second half of 2020 is not only incredibly encouraging, but also a reflection of the times. With so many businesses – and indeed educational establishments - relying on IT skills to implement and manage remote working and learning practices throughout the pandemic it is perhaps unsurprising that we saw such a healthy rise in recruitment activity. And as the pandemic rages on, and remote working and learning coupled with the huge shift to online shopping looks set to continue well into 2021, we expect hiring levels to remain strong.”

ENDS

Press contact

Vickie Collinge

Vickie@bluesky-pr.com

01582 790705