Professionals in the technology sector earn on average more in Glasgow and Edinburgh than any English city apart from London, according to research by resourcing specialist Experis.
The Experis quarterly Tech Cities Job Watch monitors more than 50,000 tech roles. The results for 2015 Q2 suggest a decline in advertised roles across the UK.
The number of permanent roles fell by 11% across the quarter – but conversely advertised contractor roles rose by 3%. This may be down to a reluctance to commit to long-term arrangements in the midst of the general election.
Leeds was included as a featured city in the most recent report. It was found to have the third-highest hiring demand for tech professionals behind London and Manchester.
But perhaps the biggest surprise was the emergence of Scotland as one of the highest-paying regions for tech roles. Unsurprisingly, London still has the highest average pay (£53,107). But Edinburgh (£42,615) and Glasgow (£42,318) occupy the second and third spots.
>See also: Cloud accounting company FreeAgent tops £1m on Seedrs campaign
The figures are released against the backdrop of falling permanent salaries across the UK. It security roles saw the biggest hit (-4% to £53,733). But similarly to the split on advertised roles, it was better news for non-permanent staff.
The average contractor day rates across the 10 tech cities saw a marginal increase of one percent compared to the previous quarter; now at £395 per day.
Experis Europe MD Geoff Smith cited the election as a probable reason for a dip in permanent hiring.
“The possibility that this slowdown was only temporary, however, is reflected in our figures post-election, which showed a recruitment uplift in June,” he continued.
“This could be an indication of increased business confidence in the new Government’s digital agenda, which vows to make Britain the technology centre of Europe and to build a digital economy comparable to Silicon Valley. For the remainder of the year, we expect to see further investment and a return to solid growth in IT recruitment.”
Also see: Relocating your business to Scotland – the advantages
