The UK economy is showing early signs of post-pandemic growth, but a boom in job vacancies and a lack of workers with basic digital skills co

As developers consider quitting, here comes the next big skills crisis

submited by

Style Pass

2021-05-26 01:30:04

The UK economy is showing early signs of post-pandemic growth, but a boom in job vacancies and a lack of workers with basic digital skills could spell trouble for UK tech.

New research suggests that more than half of the UK workforce lack essential digital skills needed for work, raising fears that the country is heading toward a digital skills shortage as employers begin ramping up their post-pandemic recruitment efforts.

Data from the Office for National Statistics this week showed "early signs of recovery" in the UK jobs market as lockdown restrictions eased and businesses resumed hiring.

According to the figures, the UK unemployment rate fell 4.8% between January and March 2021 – the largest quarterly decrease since 2015.

Yet while the data suggests a slow return to growth for the UK economy, the COVID-19 pandemic has left 772,000 fewer workers on the payroll compared to Spring 2020. At the same time, job vacancies between February and April sat at 657,000 – their highest level since the start of the pandemic – leaving many businesses facing staff shortages as they start to fully reopen.