Scotland is no stranger to the tech industry. We’ve produced some greats, from ground-breaking game innovation like Minecraft to reaching the stars via Alba Orbital satellites. In fact, Glasgow-based tech companies have attracted investment of more than £100 million from private investors in the last year, an increase of more than 100% over two years.
This growth is ensuring that Glasgow and moreover, Scotland, is fast becoming one of the UK’s most exciting and fastest growing tech ecosystems. In turn, this is helping attract the next generation of top talent to the sector.
As a newly appointed Director at Mac Recruit Group (MRG), we have seen significant growth in the demand for tech-related appointments across the UK. The growth in the tech sector is being driven by innovation expertise across a variety of sectors including health tech and space, as well as the creative industries.
In fact, the Glasgow tech sector employs just over 32,000 people thanks to the arrival of international firms such as Cisco and Telefonica. Also, with the arrival recently of Barclays, there is no doubt that these major companies know there are the skills here, and I totally concur. It also helps that we have a flourishing graduates' marketplace thanks to a city full of world-class universities too.
Collaboration has been key to the success of the rise in Scotland’s tech industry boost too. The recent Glasgow Tech Meet Up saw partnerships with University of Strathclyde, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise, and Entrepreneurial Scotland. And so, as a global recruitment company, we are also employing to help meet the demand of the sector.
So far, we’ve placed more than 300 people across the UK within the tech sector. Due to the shift in the market throughout the pandemic, we now partner with more businesses outside of Scotland, mostly those that can offer fully remote work. This means we can give more options to the Scottish tech community, whilst also gaining access to more insight about recruitment across the UK.
There are more than 850 high-growth tech businesses in Scotland, according to research firm Beahurst, with 38% of those headquartered in Edinburgh. These start-ups are on track to deliver over £624 million in 2023. This checks out, as we have found that approximately 75% of businesses, we work with have headquarters in Scotland or have a Scottish office.
There’s never been a better time for new talent to enter Scotland’s booming technology sector. With the rise of AI, cyber security, and software development – to name a few – there are companies looking to build teams and or upskill people who already work within the sector.
In fact, I surmise that thanks to gaming gurus like Chris Van der Kuyl and the brilliant brains at Alba Orbital, Scotland will continue to maximise its growth within the tech sector, and in fact become one of the best places to work, not just within the UK but globally.
Stephen Hill is a Director at MRG Recruitment
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