Job anxieties still prevalent in UK tech sector

More than 80% of UK tech workers are likely to look for new roles by the end of 2023, according to a study conducted by technology talent specialist Lorien. 

Its What Tech Candidates Want 2023 research revealed that, in the first half of 2023 alone, more than 50% of workers are planning to look for a new role.

“It would be unwise to assume that the economic climate and tech layoffs from big brands have alleviated the skills gap in the sector,” said Darren Topping, Director of Solutions and Insight. “Highly skilled tech professionals are still in significant demand.”

It demonstrates employee anxieties in reaction to the recent turbulence in the technology sector. Lorien warned employers that competition for top tech skills is “still rife”.

What do tech workers want?

Salary, cited by 40% of respondents, is the main reason for job swaps. It’s closely followed by a desire for flexible working at 26%. Over half of the people surveyed revealed they would prefer to be fully remote full-time. 

Research also showed companies that maintain flexible working practices post-pandemic would fare better. Employers such as Amazon, putting pressure on employees to return to the office full-time, will likely struggle to retain workers.

“The nature of many tech roles means that they can be easily managed in a remote environment,” added Topping. “Businesses that don’t find that happy compromise with both current talent and future recruits will find it tough to attract and retain the skills they need.”

Wider job anxiety

Findings by Lorien parallel research conducted by CWJobs in January. This showed over half in the tech industry are pre-emptively applying for new jobs over redundancy concerns.

“Tech workers are showing signs of uncertainty around job security – likely triggered by what they are reading in the news and on social media,” said Dominic Harvey, director at CWJobs.

London tech workers feel most at risk, with 63% pre-emptively applying for new jobs. 

Regardless of anxieties in the tech industry, CWJobs data showed a record high of over half a million job vacancies between October and December 2022, with the most in-demand roles including software developers and data engineers.

Similarly, ONS data revealed that only 1.2% of “information and communication” firms expected to lay off employees at the beginning of this year, which is lower than the 1.5% average across all business industries.

Read next: the UK government announces £360 million investment in tech industry.