The Best UK Cities to Start your Career in Tech

The progressive advancements in technology by the AI/IT/Cloud industry partnership have dramatically boosted the growth of tech companies and jobs across the UK over the past decade, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. While tech firms are looking to hire more and more staff, salary figures have also increased and this has expanded the tech jobs market outside of principal cities like London, which itself offers some of the best paid tech jobs in the world. Almost half of all tech start-ups in the UK reside in London, where the government has invested heavily in 2013-2014. But the cost of living there is still relatively high (which itself can offset salary benefits), and now that the market has expanded there is no reason why job seekers shouldn’t explore other cities, which offer competitive salaries, faster job vacancy growth than London, and better living standards. In short, it is not necessary for them to relocate to London to make a good living in technology.

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Reading, South East of London, has acquired notoriety as the third best city for tech job vacancies and salaries. The Thames Valley Business Park and the Suttons Business Park are perfect examples of industrial conglomerates of business and industry entities that just like the Silicon Valley in California have formed a solid bond. The same goes for Newcastle, which has built a thriving ecosystem that attracts start-ups and investors, and is in fact home to Sage, software supplier to more than five million businesses worldwide. Universities have also done their part in promoting job offerings for tech careers, as in the case of the University of Sheffield, which has partnered with professional start-up organizations to provide mentorship and pre-seed capital for small companies and start-ups. Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester are other examples of cities where salary growth is comparable to London’s, where there is high demand for IT/Cloud computing professionals, and also where one can find more opportunities for freelance work as opposed to permanent job positions (such as those found in London) which allow for less versatility for those wishing to expand their career skills and migrate to other companies or tech sectors. After London and the South East, Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire rank third in the highest concentration of tech jobs, and the power hub is appropriately dubbed Silicon Fen. Thanks to the help of one of the world’s leading universities and associated start up organizations, software developers, computer programmers and tech consultants are highly sought after in the area.

Glasgow in Scotland represents another major step forward in the expanding tech jobs market. The digital technology sector in Scotland is predicted to grow faster than the Scottish economy through the years leading to 2024 (2x as fast, actually). It is the fastest growing sector according to Skills Development Scotland and the Digital Technologies Skills Group, and for start-ups this is excellent news, because according to the report, small businesses (with 10 employees or less) account for 95% of the firms practicing in the sector, and there is a vacancy of 12,800 tech job offers on an annual basis. For those keen to get in on the action sites like Jobrapido are there to help you find jobs in Glasgow, which ranks topmost in the list of employment opportunities (29%), followed by Edinburgh (23%).

So, while nothing should stop you from relocating to London (if that’s where you want to go)- because it could be the best decision of your life. And if you are new to the city, you can consider a relocation consultation (Simply London, for example) for finding a place to stay. If it doesn’t appeal to you there are plenty of other choices that can suit your lifestyle and where living costs are a little more manageable. The tech industry is booming and you can find your place within it all over the UK.

 

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