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Unbelievably for me, it's been almost a year since our worlds were turned upside down both in and out of work and we’ve all had our fair share of challenges. Thankfully, almost a year on and despite the obvious restrictions we’re all still facing in the UK, there’s finally some well-needed light at the end of the tunnel and in my opinion good reason to be optimistic for the future especially within the world of IT & technology. So what does the future of work look like and what are our customers saying about it? Unsurprisingly, talent is still very much top of the boardroom agenda; both in being able to attract talent as well as maintaining it.  In a world where the vast majority of businesses have been forced into adopting a ‘virtual workforce’ the challenges of maintaining (as well as enhancing) company culture has never been more important but also extremely difficult. The winners are those who’ve been creative, adapted and found new ways to make this work and in many examples, it's been those companies who understand their teams best who’ve nailed it. Coupled with the fact that geographic barriers are in many cases no longer a factor in attracting talent who can in many instances work from anywhere in the world, the war for talent has never been greater and this trend is only set to continue. Remote working much like the demise of the high-street has inevitably been accelerated significantly by COVID.  And as Darwin famously said: “It is not the strongest that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” So what signs of recovery am I seeing in the tech market? Despite the obvious challenges that still exist within some sectors, there are also a significant number of businesses who have long moved from ‘survival’ mode and firmly into ‘building for the future’ mode, looking to use their creativity to challenge the status quo, discover new opportunities and through technology make all of our lives a bit easier. This has in turn seen a clear trend across all our data with companies looking to hire more technology professionals to drive their businesses forward. Confidence is creeping back and in many ways, this is because people have learned (or maybe just accepted) how to live in a COVID world. And with the acceleration of the national vaccination programme and the growing hope that ‘normality’ will soon be returning to all of us, companies are able to be more confident in what the future will look like and the roles they want to play. One word of caution however to all of those companies who are waiting for things to go back to the way things were. As an industry, this has been an opportunity to hit the ‘reset’ button, to pause and think about the way companies and teams operate.  Those companies in my opinion who go back to the way things were, will have missed the bigger picture. Technology has always been about innovation, challenging the norm and doing things better than before.  And it’ll be the companies who grab this opportunity with both hands who thrive when we finally come through the other side. Let's Connect If you'd like to have a chat about this article, find out more about the state of the tech industry or discuss your hiring plans please reach out to me on LinkedIn.

With over 10 years’ experience working within the Digital, Tech and IT Industry, John Petrella joined Understanding Recruitment's Contracts team in August 2020 as a Recruitment Consultant. John, who started his working career as a Branch Manager for an insurance company, worked his way to becoming an IT Operations Team Leader and eventually found his true calling within IT and Digital Recruitment. We spoke with John to see how he's been getting on and what it was like starting a new job remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.   What was your career journey before joining Understanding Recruitment?  I had been working in the recruitment industry for the past 12 years.   Why did you choose a career in Recruitment?  I’m sure you've heard this a million times! But truthfully, I fell into recruitment. I was working within the insurance sector and started looking at sales positions – the rest is history!   How did you find joining a new company during a pandemic?   It was definitely a different experience, but surprisingly seamless. Everyone was very welcoming. I was lucky enough to spend my first month within our offices in St. Albans and was able to meet the majority of the team in person before we moved back to working remotely.     What do you like best about working at UR?  Everyone has been so welcoming from the start and is very supportive of your journey.   What would your advice be to recruiters thinking about moving to a different company/different industry?  Make sure you are moving for the right reasons and your vision is aligned with what career/journey you have set out for yourself.   How would you describe our culture?  Everyone is super friendly and welcoming at UR and always happy to help in any way they can when needed. People genuinely want you to succeed and will offer you as much support as you need to get there.   What would your advice be to your younger self?   Learn to code and get into IT/Development!   What have you been able to do by working from home that you couldn’t have working in the office? I’ve been able to enjoy a good work-life balance – exercising more and spending more time with my family!   Curious about #LifeAtUR?  We'd love to hear from you! DM Emily Kitamura on LinkedIn, email us your CV or call 01727 228 255 to have chat about the ​ opportunities we have for you.

We're living in a rapidly changing world as a result of Covid-19. As in previous years, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning skills have been in constant demand with LinkedIn reporting a growth of 40% in global hires in 2020. The information in our 2021 Machine Learning & AI Guide is based on data from our placements, an extensive questionnaire filled out by a highly relevant pool of candidates and from salary ranges provided by our current partners that include some of the best technology-driven businesses across the UK. Which industries are benefiting most from AI? According to a poll, we ran on LinkedIn recently, Software and Tech Organisations could stand the most to gain by investing in AI. Other areas that are evolving in this space include Healthcare, Medical Research, Finance, Multimedia, Chip Design, Market Research, and many more. Overview of the Machine Learning talent pool in the UK As is the case in so many tech professions only 21% of Machine Learning professionals on LinkedIn in the UK are female. Data shows that Machine Learning professionals are most likely to switch companies after 1.2 years. A huge 37,436 professionals are located in London, with Cambridge and surrounding areas in second place with 3,054 professionals. Imperial College London, University College London, Amazon, Facebook, and the University of Oxford are the top five companies employing these professionals, showing the dominance of roles in academia. Spotlight on: Machine Learning Engineers According to LinkedIn data covering 12 months from November 2019, London has the highest number of Machine Learning Engineers with 468 professionals. Manchester (named the fastest-growing tech city in Europe) and Leeds has seen an increase in Machine Learning Engineers by 133%. The top five companies with the largest number of Machine Learning Engineers are Facebook, Apple, Kubrick Group, IQVIA, and Omdena. According to our data, the demand for talent with these skills is classed as very high in Financial Services and Hospital & Healthcare industries. The top three universities producing Machine Learning Engineers are the University College London, University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. What are some of the growth areas? Let’s delve deeper into Machine Learning and AI and understand what areas have been growing in the last 12 months. 1. Natural Language Processing One of the areas that stood out in terms of continual growth in 2020 was Natural Language Processing. This talent mainly sits within London, with 6,606 professionals in this space of AI. However, there are 638 professionals in Edinburgh and 626 in Manchester, both growing tech hubs for Machine Learning, and particularly NLP. Amazon, Facebook and Google are the top three companies employing this talent. The University of Edinburgh, University College London and the University of Cambridge scored as the top universities producing this talent in the UK. 2. Deep Learning Deep Learning also seems a very niche skill that is frequently in demand. Over the last 12 months, there was a steep 51% rise to 10.9k professionals with Deep Learning skills on LinkedIn in the UK. The top three employers for Deep Learning skills are Imperial College London, DeepMind and University College London. Similarly, Imperial College London was also the top University producing this talent in the UK. Our data showed that more Deep Learning professionals are keen to maintain a career in academia rather than transition over to industry. In contrast, NLP professionals have shown more of a willingness to move away from academic positions. 3. Data Science There was a 9% increase in Data Science professionals in the UK with 830 job posts for Data Scientist advertised over the last 12 months on LinkedIn alone. This increase reflects how crucial it’s become for every company to have a Data Scientist. The industries predominantly employing Data Scientists are IT and Services, Financial Services and Computer Software. Facebook, Lloyd Banking Group and Aviva were the top three employers for Data Scientist professionals. Python, Data Analysis, Machine Learning, and Data Mining were among the top skills for Data Scientists. This talent was most likely to have graduated from Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge. Flexibility key in retaining talent When it comes to benefits, ML & AI professionals are most concerned about job security, with many putting their job search on hold in the current economy. Working hours, flexibility within their role, working from home, being able to experiment with ideas, and try new things in their role were also among their top priorities. The overwhelming majority of our respondents said they would not accept a job without their future employer offering flexitime or remote working, emphasising that remote working is in high demand and is a benefits job seekers have come to expect. Other popular benefits include: Flexible or fully remote working Gym membership Medical insurance Life insurance To view more benefits, click here. Financial compensation Generally, ML & AI professionals told us their annual bonus was between 15%-20%, with the next common answer being 10%. For candidates who have a PhD, we have seen salaries increase substantially (in some cases by up to £10,000). For a breakdown of salaries by job title and years of experience click here. Let’s chat For any further information about the statistics in this report or other information about the ML & AI market, including competitors, tech on the rise and hiring processes, feel free to contact me for a chat. Anna Heneghan Head of Machine Learning & AI Recruitment Email me Call +44 (0)1727 809403 Connect with me on LinkedIn Schedule a call with me