The UK labour market may be flashing warning signs, but demand for IT and tech professionals seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
Over half of British businesses plan to expand their permanent IT and tech teams in the first half of next year, according to new research from recruitment firm Robert Half, a rare bright spot as unemployment rises and redundancies hit post-pandemic highs.
The firm found that 56 per cent of organisations are preparing to grow their tech headcount, underlining how increasingly, digital skills have become key to business strategy.
Craig Freedberg, regional director at Robert Half, said: “Organisations are accelerating digital transformation, embedding AI, upgrading legacy systems and strengthening cyber resilience, all of which require highly skilled technical professionals.”
Infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, software and cloud engineering are expected to see the strongest demand, with firms increasingly blending permanent hires with project-based contractors to keep pace.
Cyber skills gap deepens
Nowhere is the imbalance clearer than in the cybersecurity sector.
Despite rising investment in cyber defences, the UK faces a shortfall of tens of thousands of skilled cyber professionals, according to the UK Cyber Security Council.
What’s more, nearly half of UK businesses report gaps in basic technical cyber skills, while more than a quarter lack expertise in advanced areas such as threat intelligence and penetration testing.
That shortage is placing growing strain on IT security teams, particularly in mid-market firms operating with lean resources, just as cyber threats escalate in scale and sophistication.
A Gartner survey found that 62 per cent of cybersecurity leaders have experienced burnout, with fatigue now emerging as a material risk factor in breach scenarios.
Meanwhile, cyberattacks are surging at a dizzying rate, with London-listed firms having just taken over £3bn of direct hits in the last twelve months alone.
Share prices have tanked as a result, dividends have been slashed, and the FTSE 100’s collective cyber insurance bill is now larger than the defence research and development (R&D) budget.
With that in mind, tech hiring is no longer discretionary. And for many firms, it is becoming a defensive necessity.
As the wider jobs market weakens and the Bank of England weighs interest rate cuts to shore up the economy, demand for digital and cyber talent looks set to remain one of the few areas where employers are still hiring with urgency.