Scottish Cities, including Glasgow, show cutting-edge technology skills resurgence despite decline across UK 

The number of technology job listings in the UK declined by 57% during the past year, with fewer than 55,000 open roles advertised, according to Accenture.

Despite this, demand for skills in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing is seeing a resurgence in Scotland’s leading tech hubs, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Accenture Research queried emerging technology keywords on the LinkedIn Professional Network in the last week of January, assessing skills of both existing roles and open positions.

Combined with news articles and government reports, the data showed that the overall decline in job openings Edinburgh was slightly less than the UK average at 54%, but wider in Glasgow, which fell by 64% over the past year.

Nonetheless, there are signs that businesses are looking to recruit professionals in a number of key technologies.

Accenture stated that as companies rely on cloud infrastructures and platforms to support a remote workforce and transform their businesses, cloud computing was found to be the most in-demand technology skill in the UK, with nearly 35,000 open roles advertised – more than 1,400 of which are located in Scotland.

In addition, over the past six months, demand for AI expertise is up 96% in Edinburgh – far greater than the UK average of 73% – and up by 70% in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, demand for quantum computing is up 114% in Edinburgh, which is well above UK average of 46%.

Michelle Hawkins, managing director for Accenture in Scotland, said: “While the overall technology jobs market in Scotland has been hit heavily by the pandemic, there are significant tech skills that remain in great demand.”

Accenture’s analysis shows 41% of all technology-related job postings are for professionals based in London, while more than 420,000 technology professionals still cite London as their current location – a third of all tech professionals in the UK – despite the rise in home working during the pandemic.

Edinburgh, the third largest technology hub, is some way behind, with nearly 23,000 technology professionals, while Glasgow ranks eighth, with just over 15,000 people listed.