Leeds cyber jobs buck national decline trend thanks to city's 'dynamic digital sector'

Cyber businesses in Leeds are bucking the trend by growing headcount by almost 10 per cent in the face of a national decline in such jobs, new research shared with The Yorkshire Post has found.
By Chris Burn
Published 2nd Sep 2023, 05:45 BST

A study by Leeds Digital Festival and The Data City found the 72 cyber companies based in the city have recorded 9.9 per cent annual growth compared to a national cyber sector decline of 0.9 per cent.

Companies registered in Leeds are growing their headcount at an average of 4.2 per cent a year, similar to the UK-wide average.

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But in the software development field, the city’s 104 businesses have recorded 21.2 per cent growth, with a 14.7 per cent increase recorded in the data infrastructure field.

Alex Craven of The Data City says the figures underline Leeds's positive position in the industryAlex Craven of The Data City says the figures underline Leeds's positive position in the industry
Alex Craven of The Data City says the figures underline Leeds's positive position in the industry

The research has been conducted ahead of Leeds Digital Festival taking place between September 18 and 29 this month as the annual event returns for an eighth year.

Stuart Clarke MBE, Leeds Digital Festival director, said the figures highlight the city’s growing importance in the tech industry.

"There’s no doubt that the tech community in Leeds is developing rapidly with Leeds Digital Festival continuing to feed, inspire and evolve the sector.

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"We’re creating a strong legacy whilst laying down an exciting blueprint for the future.

“Leeds' success in key sectors contributes significantly to the UK's employment growth, with the city outperforming in multiple sectors.

"Despite economic turbulence in recent years, Leeds' businesses are showing promising growth in various sectors, adding to their employee headcount and overshadowing national averages in all the key top sectors in the tech and cyber arena.”

Alex Craven, CEO of Leeds-based scale-up data company, The Data City, added: “Our data shows that whilst the national cyber sector is shrinking at 0.6 per cent per year, Leeds is significantly outperforming this with an impressive growth rate of 9.9 per cent.

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"This can be attributed to the dynamic digital sector in the city, the emergence of numerous pioneering tech companies and the ongoing influence of Leeds Digital Festival, which continues to bring the whole community together, encouraging exciting collaborations, inspiring and attracting future talent and driving commercial success.

“As Leeds continues to flourish, it solidifies its position as an economic powerhouse and a driving force behind the UK’s future prosperity.”

This year’s Leeds Digital Festival will include contributions from the likes of Accenture, Microsoft, KPMG, BJSS, TPP, Lloyds Bank, Leeds Building Society, Codurance, and Snowflake.

The Festival will also feature Leeds Digital Careers Fair on September 26 at Leeds Arena.

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It will showcase over 100 employers and training providers and over 1,500 attendees.

Leeds Digital Festival is the UK's largest open platform tech event and the biggest outside London.

The Festival is supported by premier sponsors BJSS, TPP and PEXA, alongside executive sponsors Accenture, Glean, Jungle IT, Leeds City Council, Lloyds Banking Group, Nexus, University of Leeds, and Flutter.

Related topics:LeedsYorkshire Post