Finding developers with skills in the Java and Python is becoming increasingly difficult in the UK. According to research, there is a skills shortage, resulting in many companies being unable to find the right developers.
Harvey Nash CEO David Savage said his firm has discovered a huge skills shortage in data science and statistics. These disciplines require specialized technical and academic knowledge, so there are not many professionals available.
There is a high demand for DevOps and cloud skills in the UK, but unfortunately it is difficult to find the right developers, according to Mr Savage.
Two-thirds of large tech companies in London (63%) report shortages. However, this number has remained stable over the past 12 months.
This means that the pressure to find skills has eased in London, but the problem has worsened in cities such as Manchester and Leeds. Not long ago, companies outside London were not complaining about the lack of developers and their skills. But now the shortage is also being felt there.
In London, the sectors most affected by the lack of skilled personnel are big data/analytics (41%), DevOps (39%) and cybersecurity (35%).
Harvey Nash said that more than 16,000 data processing specialists are needed across the UK
Across England, around two-thirds of CIOs report difficulties in securing staff with the necessary skills, with all regions reporting a growing shortage except the south-west. In Scotland, the proportion of CIOs reporting staff shortages has fallen from 66% to 58% in the last two years.
It is not known why the demand for IT staff in London has stabilized, while in the surrounding areas it is increasing. It may be due, in part, to the growth of technology companies outside the capital. This is perhaps one of the reasons why demand has increased in those areas.
