I went down a bit of a rabbit hole recently, poking around the UK job market to see what 2025 has in store for tech folks. Spoiler alert: it’s lively out there.
The IT scene in the UK is buzzing—think musical chairs, but with cloud engineers and cybersecurity analysts instead of toddlers. Despite the doom and gloom of 2023’s tech layoffs, it’s clear that UK companies are back on the digital bandwagon, and they’re crying out for tech talent in just about every flavour imaginable.
Tech jobs now make up a chunky part of the workforce—about 1.8 million strong—and account for 5.4% of UK employment. That’s a lot of laptops. But here’s the rub: there are only 1.9 unemployed people per job vacancy, which means if you’re skilled, you’re basically gold dust.
Here’s the lowdown on who’s hot in 2025:
🧑💻 Software Developers
What’s happening? Full-stack devs are having their moment—again. The post-pandemic hiring frenzy fizzled out for a bit in 2023, but now the taps are back on. Got React, Java, Node.js in your toolbox? You’re in luck.
Companies are playing it safe with short-term contracts, but permanent gigs are still going strong—46% of tech bosses want more full-timers this year. Bonus points if you know your way around cloud platforms and APIs. Basically, if you can code and deploy without crying, someone wants you.
🛡️ Cybersecurity
What’s happening? If you’re in cyber, you’re basically a unicorn riding a firewall. The talent gap is massive, and companies are practically throwing cash and perks at anyone with “certified” next to their name.
With threats popping up like dodgy pop-ups, over 70% of firms were short on cyber skills last year—and that number’s going up. Big demand for analysts, engineers, and architects (not the building kind), especially in zero-trust, cloud security, and data protection.
TL;DR: if you can outsmart hackers while working in your pyjamas, you’re in demand.
📊 Data Nerds (aka Analysts, Scientists, and ML Engineers)
What’s happening? Data’s the new oil, and businesses are desperate for slick operators. Data analysts? Still steady. But if you’ve got Python, ML chops, and an opinion on LLMs, you’re growing at 3.6x the average job rate. No biggie.
There’s also more niche hunting now—NLP, computer vision, even analytics translators (basically, the folks who can explain a chart without making everyone fall asleep). Data engineers are also in high demand, especially if they can wrangle modern pipelines without setting anything on fire.
🧰 IT Support
What’s happening? The unsung heroes of hybrid work. Helpdesk roles are always floating around, but turnover is high (probably all those forgotten passwords).
Support’s getting smarter too. Employers want jacks-of-all-trades—people who can fix a printer, diagnose a network glitch, and not get annoyed by Karen in Accounts. Tier 2 and 3 roles are where the action is—think fewer “did you turn it off and on again?” and more real problem-solving.
🌐 Network & Systems Admins
What’s happening? The back-end backbone crew. Demand’s not as white-hot as some other areas, but it’s still ticking over—especially with cloud and hybrid setups growing.
Many traditional network roles are morphing into cloud-focused gigs. The sexy stuff? Hybrid networks, SD-WAN, and anything involving Linux, Windows, and a splash of AWS. Salary-wise, you’re looking at a tidy 5% bump YoY, especially in finance and telecoms.
☁️ DevOps & Cloud Engineers
What’s happening? Cloud is king, and DevOps is its loyal knight. CI/CD, containers, Infrastructure-as-Code—if any of that makes you grin rather than groan, congrats, you’re highly employable.
Nearly half of tech companies plan to hire in this area in 2025. They’re looking for Swiss Army knife-types who can write code, spin up a Kubernetes cluster, and still make the Slack team laugh. Contract gigs are booming too—about 25% of firms are adding temps for cloud-heavy projects.
🤖 AI & Machine Learning People
What’s happening? Explosive demand, wild west vibes. If you’re into building models that talk back, recognise cats, or predict shopping habits, your CV is basically platinum.
AI/ML roles are growing at 3.6x the national average, and the skills gap is so wide you could drive a Tesla through it. Firms are throwing money, training, and free snacks at the problem. MLOps is the new buzzword—build it, deploy it, and explain it to someone’s boss. Deep learning experts and PhDs? Unicorns.
If you’re one of them, expect recruiters to slide into your inbox with serious urgency.
Final thoughts? 2025 is a great year to be a techie in the UK. Whether you’re a junior dev, a cybersecurity wizard, or someone who just really likes data, there’s a job out there with your name on it—and probably a decent pay packet too.
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