Over two in five (41.4%) of new IT jobs are now to be found in London, a rise from when the capital accounted for just over a third (33.8%) in 2008.
This is according to a new study by business and technology staffing firm ReThink Recruitment of new IT jobs created in the UK so far in 2012.
ReThink director Michael Bennett points to the technology hub of
Silicon Roundabout as a particular area of new job creation, and commenst: “Faced with the choice of working in a bank or a digital start-up, a growing number of talented IT professionals are prepared to sacrifice pay for shares in an East London tech start-up. We’re not back to dotcom levels, but shares have regained some of their lustre.”
But he adds, “Hiring for IT roles in London is as challenging as it’s ever been. There has been a long-term decline in the number of candidates with IT qualifications coming onto the market
The survey also shows that the market share of new jobs for the South East region has dropped from 23.8% to 22.5%, while declines were also seen in the next four largest creators of IT jobs – the North West, the South West, the West Midlands and Yorkshire & Humberside.
Wales had previously accounted for just 1% of new roles, and Northern Ireland less than 0.1% - these figures now stand at 1.5% and 0.3% respectively.
London accounts for just 27% of the UK’s population, it notes.
