UK is the digital capital of Europe

The latest Tech Nation report analyses over 2,700 survey responses 1000+ data points and in-depth interviews with industry experts to provide insights into the current state of the digital tech industry in the UK.

In 2016 investment in UK digital tech investment was 50% higher than any other European country

• Total investment in 2016 was £6.8 billion
• Over the past five years UK digital tech attracted £28bn investment (France in second place attracted £11.4bn)
• UK Digital tech turnover reached almost £100 billion, up 10%+ in just five years
• Digital tech success not limited to London – Cambridge and Edinburgh emerging as important tech hubs
• 2015 turnover of digital tech industries was £170 billion, up by 22% in five years
• Over the past five years London attracted more investment than Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam combined

Talent

• UK is home to 8 of Europe’s top 20 universities (Germany has 4; Netherlands 3)
• There are 1.64 million digital tech jobs in the UK
• Digital tech job creation outpacing non digital at a rate of 2:1
• 13% of digital tech employees in the UK are from abroad; rising to 31% in London and the South East
• London has nearly twice as many Github users as Paris or Berlin
• Digital tech salaries are outpacing all others
• Talent supply is the UK tech industry’s major challenge
• London hosted 22,000 meet ups in 2016 (Berlin in second place hosted just under 8,000)

Future actions and challenges for policy makers

• Address skills shortages, through education; apprenticeships; engagement
• Address sector gender divide by reskilling women; working with business to commit to gender equality
• Improving access to funding at all stages of growth
• Boosting digital connectivity

The full 124-page report can be downloaded here.