About 100,000 vacancies for artificial intelligence (AI) roles were posted across the UK in the past six months, up 51% from the previous period, according to an Accenture survey.
Accenture’s Tech Talent Tracker revealed that demand for AI skills increased the overall tech jobs market by 21%. But these roles are concentrated in London, which had six times as many AI-related job listings as Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool combined.
In the wider tech sector, the biggest increase in demand for tech skills was in Manchester (35%), reaching more than 30,000 roles, followed by Bristol (25%) and Birmingham (17%).
London, in comparison, saw in excess of 250,000 tech jobs listed, which was a 24% increase on the previous six-month period. About two-thirds of the UK’s tech talent works in London, which equates to roughly 1.75 million people. Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool collectively account for just 13%, the research found.
But the survey report warned that the concentration of skills in London could stunt UK growth in the future, particularly with the increased need for AI experts nationwide.
“London’s strength as a global technology hub is undoubtedly a success story and has helped establish the UK as a serious player in AI. But as organisations race to recruit the skills needed to realise value from AI, the concentration of AI jobs and talent in one place presents a longer-term challenge for the UK’s growth ambitions,” said Sam Holmes, talent reinvention lead at Accenture UK.
AI is not just the preserve of technology companies based in the capital. Businesses across every sector and region of the UK will need AI skills to remain competitive and unlock new sources of productivity and growth Sam Holmes, Accenture UK
“AI is not just the preserve of technology companies based in the capital. Businesses across every sector and region of the UK will need AI skills to remain competitive and unlock new sources of productivity and growth,” added Holmes. “Creating more opportunities for people to develop these skills across the country will be essential if the UK is to realise the full potential of AI, ensuring its benefits are felt in every corner of the country.”
Developers still in demand
According to Accenture’s survey, jobs that support the take-up of AI are also seeing a bounce, with listings in engineering and DevOps up 11% to 100,000, data analytics jobs up 19% to about 90,000, and cyber security roles advertised rising by almost 20%.
“The findings indicate that AI is reshaping technology roles rather than reducing demand for them. As businesses move from AI experimentation to embedding it meaningfully into their operations, a combination of engineers and data expertise is becoming increasingly important in building and integrating the systems that underpin it,” said Accenture.
Organisations may also look to reskill experienced tech professionals to enable them to combine their know-how with AI skills, because a large portion of the AI skills base is people in the early stages of their careers. The survey found that40% of professionals with AI skills have fewer than six years’ professional experience, with about a quarter with two years’ experience or less.
“The findings suggest organisations may increasingly look to build AI capabilities through training and reskilling from a broader base of technical expertise, alongside specialist hiring,” said Accenture.
Holmes echoed a claim made by Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani at the recent Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, where he described fears that AI would take tech jobs as “hogwash”.
Holmes said: “As organisations become more mature in how they use AI, demand is growing for the engineers, developers and data specialists needed to deploy and scale it effectively.”
He added: “Far from reducing the need for talent, AI is increasing demand for a wider mix of technology skills. Competition for AI expertise is already intensifying, meaning organisations will need to invest in developing talent alongside recruiting it if they are to keep pace with demand.”
But Sam Kingston, CEO of software services company Zenitech and former UK head of EDS’s UK private sector business, said the argument “won’t hold”.
“I agree to a point, but then it will drop, and it won’t create jobs,” he said. “It will actually make people more efficient, and that then means that the speed of delivery is faster, and you’ll also use fewer people, senior and qualified people, to do that.”
Kingston said mid-level and junior-level workers will be hit in the beginning, as those in senior roles will be working alongside AI.
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