Thousands more jobs in digital industries
THE West Midlands has been named the country’s fastest-growing tech sector and the region’s thriving digital industries are expected to create thousands of new jobs by the end of 2025.
According to a new Government report released ahead of Birmingham Tech Week, the region has been recognised as a top performer for digital growth and is predicted to create an additional 52,000 roles in the sector over the next four years - a bumper increase of 55 per cent since 2019.
Tech growth in the region grew by an average of 7.6 per cent a year between 2014 and 2019, the fastest region in the UK. It is expected to generate at least £2.7 billion for the local economy by 2025.
It comes as new figures compiled by job search engine Adzuna and investment analysts Dealroom for the UK’S Digital Economy Council and Tech Nation show tech companies in the West
Midlands are on track to raise more venture capital invest- 2021. ment in 2021 than they did a year earlier, and tech job vacancies advertised in the region have almost doubled since December 2020. Tech companies in the West Midlands have raised £454 million in venture capital funding already this year, compared to £358 million last year, while tech vacancies have increased from 5,099 in December 2020 to 9,287 in October
Digital Minister Chris Philp said: “There are high-quality and wellpaid job opportunities for those who want to pursue a career in tech and the region is fast-becoming a powerhouse of digital talent.
“We are determined to level up the country and we are working around the clock to back digital businesses with pro-innovation policies to boost digital skills and create jobs so everyone can benefit from this dynamic sector.”
The West Midlands was also recently named as one of the areas set to benefit from the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit - the biggest broadband rollout in British history.
There are high-quality and well-paid job opportunities for those who want to pursue a career in tech Chris Philp