Key Highlights:
- Data hiring surges as UK vacancies rose 58% in April year on year, with regional hubs like Manchester and Glasgow leading growth.
- The UK trails in per capita AI graduates and faces a widening talent shortage despite strong absolute numbers.
- Current visa policies exclude top global talent and may hinder innovation and startup growth.
- Over £17 billion committed to UK data centres, but concerns grow around energy capacity and sustainability.
Britain is in the midst of a data hiring boom. In April alone, data vacancies rose by 58% year on year, setting new records. While London has long been the hub for such roles, the momentum is clearly shifting. Cities like Manchester and Glasgow are fast becoming the new engines of the UK’s data economy, reshaping where opportunity lies.
Manchester saw data roles grow by over 50% last year, and projections show another 60% increase in 2025. Glasgow is accelerating even faster, with vacancies expected to more than double this year due to increasing investment and a thriving digital sector. Financial and professional services are expanding data hiring as well. AI-related roles in professional services surged by 385% in the past year, while PwC data vacancies alone are forecast to rise 74%.
Fintech also remains strong. London saw an 87% increase in data roles last year, and national growth hit 47%. Since 2012, AI-related job postings have grown 3.6 times faster than the wider job market, indicating long-term structural demand.
This rapid expansion presents both opportunity and risk. The Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan promises to train tens of thousands of AI professionals by 2030, but the UK still lags behind on a per capita basis. To close this gap, universities need targeted support to expand teaching capacity and develop industry-aligned curricula. France’s CIFRE PhD model offers one possible template.
Global talent will also be key. The current High Potential Individual visa scheme excludes graduates from top institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and Carnegie Mellon. Complex and expensive visa processes continue to discourage startups and deter high-calibre international applicants. Immigration reform will be essential to keep the UK competitive.
Power infrastructure adds another layer of urgency. More than £17 billion has been pledged for new UK data centres by companies like Google, Microsoft and AWS. As these centres expand, their power needs could reach 6% of the UK’s electricity consumption by 2030. Meeting that demand sustainably will require significant investment in zero-carbon energy.