Tech is growing at an unprecedented rate, and in 2022 was the UK’s leading sector in terms of growth, more than France and Germany combined. With this increase in value unsurprisingly comes a huge demand for skilled tech individuals. Despite it being a turbulent time, with 70,000 layoffs in January from Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Meta, Google & Amazon, businesses and organisations outside of big tech are capitalising on this wave of top talent, with candidates not staying off the market for long. So, there’s still a huge need for highly-skilled individuals as technology continues to grow & develop.
In January LinkedIn released their annual Jobs on the Rise list – which reveals the top 25 job roles which are the most in-demand in the UK. Of these 25 for 2023, 9 were in the technology industry. This shows the growth in the IT sector is not slowing, and technology professionals will be in demand for some time yet. In this article, we look at the nine jobs which are most in-demand in the UK tech market.
1. Product Operations Manager
Coming in third on the list for 2023 was Product Operations Manager. Similar to a Project Manager, these individuals are responsible for ensuring every aspect of product development is smooth and effective. The popularity of this role is on the up because of the fast nature of the tech market. This role is effectively put in place to help grow the product development process at scale and ensure everything remains efficient, and also to make sure every key team is held accountable for their work. Interestingly, LinkedIn reports that 57% of Product Ops Managers in the UK are female. As we know, there’s a big gender gap in tech with women taking just 26% of the roles, so this could be a job area in which females are well-suited. With many of these roles being advertised as part-remote, the future for Product Operations Managers certainly looks bright.
Key skills: Product management, product development, stakeholder management, organisation.
Median years experience needed: 4.3
Average salary: £50,075
2. Cloud Engineer
Cloud Computing services has been one of the fastest-growing areas of tech for the last few years. With 94% of all business enterprises using some aspect of cloud services, it’s unsurprising that Cloud Engineer was the 8th most in-demand role for 2023. Catapulted by the global pandemic in 2020, cloud computing offers businesses faster innovation and a way to maintain their IT structure at a lower cost than previously. Cloud Engineers are pivotal roles as they are responsible for maintaining a cloud computing structure. Due to the nature of the role, many cloud engineering jobs are mostly remote, so employers are able to access a wider talent pool. Unlike Product Management roles, the current gender split for Cloud Engineers is 84% male and just 16% female.
Key skills: AWS, Microsoft Azure, attention-to-detail, problem-solving.
Median years experience needed: 4.8
Average salary: £57,489
3. Data Science Manager
Big data is key for so many of the world’s biggest companies as it connects them with their customer base on a deeper level than ever before. Once hailed as the sexiest job of the 21st century, Data Scientists are imperative in these organisations as they can make sense of the huge amounts of information available. Data Science Manager is reported to be the 11th most in-demand job role of 2023, and it’s easy to see why. They are the figureheads of the data science teams, and help companies to set clear goals and targets based on scientific data. They usually manage teams of Data Scientists or Engineers who work to identify patterns and trends which can inform wider business decisions or strategies. The gender split for Data Science Managers in the UK is currently 77% male and 23% female, similar to the overall tech split of 74% male, 26% female.
Key skills: Machine learning, data modelling, computer science, attention-to-detail, problem-solving.
Median years experience needed: 5.3
Average salary: £70,000
4. Site Reliability Engineer
Also known as DevOps Engineer, Site Reliability Engineers are responsible for developing automated software systems to solve operational tasks and issues. An SRE is usually someone who has a background in computer programming, as a lot of the role revolves around writing code to automate processes. The rise in demand for automated software means that LinkedIn has placed SRE as the 12th most in-demand role for 2023. Unfortunately this role is currently massively male-dominated, with just 11% of roles currently filled by women. By getting more women and young girls interested in coding, we’d hope that roles like SRE become more gender-balanced in years to come.
Key skills: Software development, AWS, Terraform, knowledge of most common coding languages and automation tools.
Median years experience needed: 5.3
Average salary: £70,000
5. Data Engineer
Following on from Data Science Manager in 11th, Data Engineers are expectedly in the 13th spot. Fuelling the work which managers report on, Data Engineers are responsible for working with data to spot patterns and trends to provide analysis for future business decisions and strategies. Data Engineers often progress to become Data Science Managers later in their careers. Currently, women make up 24% of Data Engineers in the UK.
Key skills: Programming languages, common knowledge of the most popular cloud service platforms such as AWS and Google Cloud, data modelling, problem-solving.
Median years experience needed: 4.3
Average salary: £55,042
6. Security Operations Centre Analyst
More commonly known as an SOC Analyst, these individuals are responsible for monitoring cybersecurity threats to IT infrastructures. It’s no wonder that SOC Analysts are in demand, with so much data being processed on cloud services, companies are becoming more vulnerable to data hacks and leaks than ever before. It’s the SOC Analysts job to predict, identify and remediate these threats so they don’t come to fruition. Another key aspect of the role is to look for areas a company could improve their infrastructure to prevent attacks happening in the future. Currently, 88% of SOC Analysts in the UK are male, with cybersecurity an area where the gender gap is very real.
Key skills: Security information and event management, ethical hacking, computer forensics, network defence.
Median years experience needed: 2.8
Average salary: £42,500
7. Machine Learning Engineer
With the global market of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being estimated at US$ 119.78 billion in 2022, the growth is unlikely to subside, as more and more of the world’s biggest companies make it a bigger priority. Put simply, AI is the ability of a computer to mimic human functions in an efficient and user-friendly way. It can be found in many of the world’s largest sectors; manufacturing, retail, medicine and construction. AI is forecasted to create 97 million jobs between 2022 and 2025, so it’s no wonder that Machine Learning Engineer features on the most in-demand jobs for 2023. Machine Learning Engineers are responsible for creating and maintaining these AI processes so they can be used in many different sectors and aspects of life. Women make up just 18% of Machine Learning Engineers in the UK, and overall in cybersecurity 22% of roles.
Key skills: Deep learning, machine learning, programming languages.
Median years experience needed: 2.7
Average salary: £60,000
8. Software Engineer
One of the most in-demand roles in tech, Software Engineering is a dynamic and exciting role, with new developments being made all the time. Software Engineers design and code software and test it before it gets released. Often working on a variety of projects at once, individuals should be highly-skilled in multitasking and managing projects. In 2022, demand for software engineers has grown by 17%, and this doesn’t look to be slowing anytime soon. Women currently make up 40% of software engineers, meaning the profession is very close to being gender balanced.
Key skills: Most common programming languages, software testing and debugging, problem-solving.
Median years experience needed: 2.8
Average salary: £48,723
9. Product Analyst
The last technology role on the LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list is Product Analyst, coming in 21st place. Working closely with Product Managers, Product Analysts study and analyse the use of products and make recommendations to PMs about future developments and innovations. It’s a varied and exciting role where individuals are able to make a direct impact on product strategies and launches. They also contribute to operations such as costs, budgets, logistics and manufacturing. As it stands, 36% of Product Analyst roles are taken by women.
Key skills: Product Management, experience with SQL, consultancy skills, attention-to-detail.
Median years experience needed: 3.5
Average salary: £45,000
Each of these tech jobs are likely to continue to be in high-demand for 2023 and years to come. We look forward to seeing which jobs are highlighted in LinkedIn’s 2024 Jobs on the Rise roundup.
See our roundup of the tech skills most in-demand for 2023, and search hundreds of jobs for women in tech on our job board.
