More global skilled technology workers chose to work in London over any other European city last yearAccording to research by London & Partners, the promotional agency of the Mayor of London’s office, London attracted the top talent over the rest of Europe during 2018, the second year in a row. Stack Overflow also recently found that London has around 357,900 software developers, more than any other city in Europe.
Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, said: “London is home to some of the best technical and creative minds who are helping us to lead the way in cutting-edge research and innovations in high growth areas such as fintech [financial technology] and artificial intelligence.
“Today’s figures demonstrate that London is an open, welcoming city and that the strength of our tech sector is built on the international makeup of our tech workforce.”
Paris was also found to have a high number of software developers, with around 268,600 working in the capital, as well as Amsterdam, which has a 216,800 developer population.
Brexit has of course caused concern over access to skilled workers in the UK, especially as the cap on Tier 2 visas saw 3,000 skilled workers turned away from the UK in the beginning of 2018.
Data from LinkedIn found London was the top chosen city for tech migrants in 2018 and 2017 for both European and non-EU migrants.
London & Partners is also launching a new online resource aimed at helping international businesses recruit talent in London. The resource will provide information about hiring such as where to find the right talent, how to deal with visas and citizenship and how to train and retain talent.
Citron said the toolkit will help businesses to “make the very most” of the talent available in London, and make it easier for businesses in London to access “the best talent from all over the world”.
Technology is still moving at a rapid pace in the city, with Atos and Google opening a London-based digital innovation centre in the tail end of 2018 and the launch of a cyber innovation centre in the city, for example.
Joshua Graff, head of LinkedIn in the UK, said: “LinkedIn members around the world continue to see opportunity in London, and whether it’s hunting for jobs on our platform, or moving to a new city to build a career, London remains in front of its European competitors in the battle for high tech talent.”
The focus is not only on making sure London remains a technology hub, but ensuring the UK as a whole is an attractive place for technology talent.
