UK employers continued their search for workers to fill critical information technology (IT) roles even as unexpected changes in business conditions took hold during the second quarter, according to beancounters working for CompTIA.
The total number of employer job postings for core IT positions was slightly more than 125,000 in the second quarter, a decline from the first quarter, according to CompTIA’s analysis of data from Burning Glass Technologies Labour Insights.
But IT positions accounted for a higher percentage of all UK job postings for the quarter – 12 per cent in the second quarter, up from 10 percent in the first quarter.
CompTIA’s vice president for skills certification in EMEA Graham Hunter said that nearly every segment of the labour market, including technology professions, was negatively impacted as the COVID-19 pandemic hit in full force.
“But the critical role technology professionals hold within our economy was reinforced as they provided cybersecurity and connectivity support for essential workers in healthcare and emergency services, as well as for the tens of millions of citizens who suddenly became remote workers and distance learners.”
Programmers and software developers were the most sought-after positions employers were looking to hire in second quarter, with 52,915 job postings. Other in-demand positions included IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (19,075), web design and development professionals (11,692), IT and telecommunications professionals (11,386), and IT user support technicians (10,413).
Senior director for research and market intelligence at CompTIA Amy Carrado said: “This includes a greater reliance on cloud-based applications and services; creating a robust online presence to stay connected to customers and partners as physical locations were closed; and turning to virtual meetings when in-person gatherings were not possible.”
There has been a notable increase in employers advertising for remote IT work opportunities. Close to one in five (more than 24,000) IT job postings cited remote or work from home options in second quarter. That represented a 25 percent increase over the first quarter.
Not every job posting results in a new hire. Companies may change their hiring plans or promote from within to fill an opening. They may also post multiple times for the same job. But job posting information can signal where companies intend to invest in technology.
The CompTIA UK IT Employment Snapshot for Q2 is available here
