The Tech Cities Job Watch report is a quarterly tracker of hiring demand and salary trends in the technology sector and provides employers with a barometer of these changing workforce dynamics.

The report focuses on five key disciplines, across ten UK Tech Cities, including: Big Data, Cloud, IT Security, Mobile and Web Development. Each issue also takes a closer look at a specific discipline, with IT Security being the main focus of this report.

In the Q4 2017 report we explore the complex cyber security landscape. With hacks and security breaches on the rise, businesses could be more vulnerable to cyber attacks; whilst budget cuts and the introduction of IR35 may be creating an imbalance in the supply and remuneration across the industry.

Key highlights from the report reveal that:

• Demand for new permanent IT Security skills dropped in Q4 2017 but salaries increased by 4% year-on-year
• The average salary for an IT Security role (£60,004) remains much lower than the likes of a Big Data specialist (£70,945)
• Despite day rates dropping by 13%, demand for IT Security contractors increased by 24% year-on-year

Download the full report to find out more.

Take a look at the Tech Cities Job Watch Infographic below to view a snapshot of the latest tech workforce trends. Alternatively, click here to download the PDF.

Looking for IT Security jobs? Find out more here.

With 2018 dubbed ‘the year of regulation’, there are a number of upcoming changes that will affect organisations and how they are run.

To help you keep track of the latest developments and your rights in the world of work, we’ve highlighted some of the key legal changes that came into effect last year.

1. National living / minimum wage increase

The national living wage rate for workers aged 25 or over increased to £7.50/hour in April 2017. In addition to this, the increase in national minimum wage rate for all other age bands (including apprentices) took effect on the same date. The rates apply to employees and workers only, and do not apply to self-employed people or volunteers.

In April 2018 the national living wage rate will rise further to £7.83/hour, an increase above the current inflation rate of 3%. Alongside this, increases to the national minimum wage rate for all other age bands will also be effective on the same date.

The Government has previously pledged to raise the national living wage to £9/hour by 2020.

More information

2. Termination payments

Employers will be required to pay National Insurance contributions (NICs) on any termination payments that exceed £30,000. However, any payments under £30,000 will be exempt from tax and National Insurance. In addition, the taxation on contractual and non-contractual pay in lieu of notice (PILON) will be taxed as income and so will be subject to both income tax and National Insurance contributions.

The Government confirmed these changes will take effect from April 2018.

More information

3. Salary sacrifice benefits

In April 2017 the tax-free eligibility was removed for the vast majority of ‘benefits in kind’ (BiK), and were no longer offered on a salary sacrifice basis, including: health schemes, car parking, mobile phones and gym memberships.

The benefits that were not affected were limited to: pension contributions and advice, childcare arrangements and cycle-to-work schemes.

However, these BiK changes don’t prohibit employers from offering the full range of salary sacrifice benefits, but instead these benefits are subject to income tax and employer National Insurance Contributions.

More information

4. Tax-Free Childcare

The Government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare scheme in April 2017 to help working parents with the cost of childcare. Those eligible have to be parents of children under 12, and earning at least £120 per week on average, but under £100,000 per year.

The Government will provide up to £2,000 per child per year towards their childcare costs and up to £4,000 for disabled children.

Earlier this month Tax-Free Childcare was also opened to parents whose youngest child is under 9. The scheme will also open to all remaining eligible families with children under 12 on 14th February 2018 and applications can be made before the end of this financial year.

More information

5. IR35

In April 2017 the changes to the IR35 legislation came into place, aimed at shifting the responsibility of ensuring individuals are paying the right tax to the entity paying the personal service company (PSC) – often referred to as a limited company contractor. The legislation aims to ensure that such individuals pay tax in the same way as an employee, making it harder for individuals to falsely operate as a PSC in order to reduce their tax liabilities.

The changes are applied in any instance where the end client is a public sector body.

In November 2017, the Chancellor announced that the Government will consult on whether the reforms should be extended to the private sector. The consultation will draw on the experience of the public sector reforms through external research commissioned by the Government, due to be published this year.

More information

6. Apprenticeship Levy

Launched in April 2017, the Apprenticeship Levy was designed to boost the UK’s commitment to apprenticeship programmes. Every employer in the public or private sector, with a wage bill of over £3million, will pay a new 0.5% Levy on their annual pay bill to help fund this initiative, increasing training for millions of apprentices. This is supplemented with an additional 10% each month from the Government.

More information

7. The Taylor Review into modern employment practices

The Taylor review was set up to consider how employment practices need to change to keep up with modern business models, especially given the rise of the “gig economy”. In short, the main theme of the review was that ‘workers should be treated like human beings, not cogs in a machine’. It’s yet to be seen whether and how the Government may take on the changes, but some of the principles identified include:

• Workers should know their rights from ‘day one’ and businesses should be transparent when employing people
• There should be a clarification on the differences between employees, self-employed and individuals who work through platforms. It’s recommended that individuals working in this way should be classified as a ‘dependent contractor’
• Flexible work is recognised as positive but the report stressed that it should benefit both the worker and the employer
• Benefits, such as sick pay, should be made available to those in the gig economy.

More information

8. Employment Tribunal fees

The Supreme Court ruled that tribunal fees were unlawful and has introduced a refund scheme to reimburse all those who paid fees between July 2013 and July 2017.

Claimants whose claims were dismissed for failure to pay fees are being offered the opportunity to reinstate their claims by the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

The Government still intends to charge fees to ‘cover costs and deter frivolous litigation’, but the level of fees will need to be carefully balanced. However, the changes are unlikely before the end of 2018.

More information

9. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Throughout 2017, we’ve seen organisations prepare for the much anticipated GDPR regulation that’s coming into force on May 2018. The regulation is set to significantly change data protection with increased responsibilities, compliance and penalties for organisations. The regulation will harmonise data protection law across all EU member states and will also apply to businesses located outside the EU who process EU citizen’s data.

So far a considerable quantity of customer data has been collected by organisations without a proper opt-in consent process. As a result, one of the key obligations includes consent for processing data will have to meet very high standards and must be ‘lawful, fair and transparent’.

The changes to the regulation introduced tougher penalties for non-compliance, with fines of up to 4% of an organisation’s annual global turnover or €20million (whichever is greater).

More information

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Disclaimer: This post has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. This post should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. No warranty is given with respect the accuracy of information contained in this post and neither Experis Limited, nor any of its affiliated companies shall have any liability for any loss which may arise from reliance on information contained in this post.

From digitisation, data generation and automation; to artificial intelligence, private and public clouds and machine learning – technological disruption is happening at a pace and scale never seen before.

In the Industrial Revolution, it took 50+ years to redefine processes and take full advantage of technology. Now, organisations have as little as six months to change. Transforming quickly and continuously can be the difference between business success and failure. To harness emerging opportunities and compete, leaders must be ready to lead in the digital age.

Identifying and Nurturing Digital Leaders

Transformation has to start at the top. Leaders need to create a culture of innovation. They need to be open to change, prepared to take calculated risks and willing to fail fast. In short, leaders need to lead differently.

Yet, most organisations – including those that are ahead of the game – say that their leadership pipeline and existing leaders are not yet prepared to fully tackle the challenges of digital transformation. In fact, almost 9 out of 10 HR leaders do not believe they have the leadership talent required to drive success.

To lead in the digital age, business leaders need to combine the best of human and machine intelligence to create an inclusive, tech-enabled and forward-thinking company. We invite you to download our latest whitepaper, to learn more about how to develop a digitally-enabled and transformation-ready leadership team.

Technology is transforming organisations, skills needs are changing rapidly, and companies cannot find the talent they need. Digitisation and automation is happening at different speeds, impacting regions, sectors and organisations at different times, and in different ways. In the past, transformation took decades, even centuries. Today, it is happening at an unprecedented pace – yet the outcome is not predetermined.

In the midst of a Skills Revolution, human ingenuity will be the linchpin for how we leverage technology in our lives and businesses. With the right skills mix, people will augment – rather than compete – with technology.

In this digital world, success will not always require a university degree. Instead, it will rely on an appetite for continuous skills development. Identifying future skill requirements, helping people to upskill, and providing access to employment will ensure that both workers and organisations have the skills they need to thrive.

Human Solutions for a Skills Revolution

To find out how employers expect technology to transform the future of work, and what they are doing to ready their organisation, we surveyed 20,000 employers in 42 countries about:

• The likely impact of automation on their headcount in the next two years
• Which functions within their organisation will be most affected
• The human skills they value most and which they struggle to find

Our research found that developing a blend of technical skills and soft skills is the solution to the Skills Revolution for individuals and employers alike. And, as companies go digital, in the near-term most will need more people, not fewer.

We invite you to download the full whitepaper for a real-time view of the impact of automation on the workforce in the digital age, and an overview of the functions that are set to grow or contract in the years ahead.

Related whitepapers:

With the first few weeks of 2018 now under our belts, many IT teams will already have put their business goals and strategies in place for the year.

As a manager and leader, you will have asked yourself some key questions whilst evaluating the past year and planning ahead for the next: What will be our focus in 2018? What are we going to improve? How can we do things better and more efficiently? What does the business need of us? After all, setting the right direction of travel is the key to driving success.

While focusing on fulfilling business requirements, an area that is often neglected which also deserves attention is your talent strategy. Even if you only manage a handful of people, your ability to meet your goals can be significantly hampered if you don’t have the optimum blend of legacy and emerging IT skills. And, if your team is going to move on from asking ‘have you tried turning it off and on again?’ to a role that has more strategic involvement, you need to be thinking about the skills that will be needed to support the business in five or ten years’ time, and start to align your team accordingly.

With the skills gap increasing and Brexit due to take place in 2019, getting the right attraction and retention strategies in place now will help your business to remain competitive and drive long-term success for the future. Here are a few steps you can take to develop a successful talent strategy for the long-term:

1. Build a transparent and authentic employer brand

Jobseekers today have access to more information about companies than ever before. Organisations that embrace this opportunity and openly share information about the company, corporate culture and vision in new ways, will transform the candidate experience.

However, employers shouldn’t overreach and try to make the company seem perfect, particularly when replying to a negative comment that has been posted online. This can disingenuous to today’s candidates. Instead of squelching imperfections, use these occasions as an opportunity to engage and diffuse. Using practical, emotional and interactive ways to reach individuals with the right information will send a strong message about your brand – not only to potential candidates, but also partners and investors, encouraging dialogue and engagement.

2. Be open to flexible working

These days, people want to work with their employer in different ways. And the expectations they have of their employer changes over time, as their life priorities evolve. By offering a range of flexible workplace practices that appeal to candidates of all ages and at various stages of their careers, you’ll be able to engage with a wider talent pool, attract and retain top talent, as well as maximising productivity and meeting business demands.

From permanent workers to contractors; Millennials to the ageing workforce: each of these talent groups brings different values to your organisation, including a range of life experiences and skills. This not only helps to create a more diverse and balanced workforce but will also help to close the skills gap. Understanding the factors driving the increasing demands for flexible working are key to making the first steps.

3. Invest in technology

Some organisations have begun investigating the benefits of introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to their hiring processes to take away some of the time-consuming admin involved in recruitment. By taking away some of this burden, you’ll have more time to spend with prospective employees, getting under the skin of their goals and motivations, so you can be sure they’re the right person for your team.

However, there’s a limit to how far you can automate recruitment at this stage. Finding the candidate with the right cultural fit for the company is just as important as having the right skills and experience. For the time being, this isn’t something that an algorithm can calculate.

4. Focus on soft skills training

Professionals who develop effective soft skills are better able to understand and convey the business value of projects to relevant stakeholders. They can more easily earn buy-in and support, collaborate more effectively on cross-functional teams, and they can attain positive outcomes and deliver successful projects more efficiently.

Instead of just focusing on honing technical capabilities, try to to take a more holistic approach and place greater emphasis on soft skills training within your team.

Ultimately, your entire team benefits when all members are equipped with effective communication and collaboration skills. Understanding and developing the soft skills of professionals will lead to the success of the entire team – and, most importantly, the success of the organisation.

5. Foster a culture of learning and development:

One of the key factors in maintaining a successful team and business is being responsive to emerging trends and having the ability to remain innovative.

Foster a culture of learning and development within your team, for both new starters and those who have been around for a little longer. Empower them with the opportunity to upskill, work across other areas of the business, and learn both tech and non-tech skills from other people. In return, you’ll boost business growth, productivity and most importantly, morale.

Whether you’re looking for new talent or to make the most out of your existing workforce, these are just a few ways you can drive success for the long-term.

Need support finding the right talent for your organisation? Get in touch today.

Due to the pace of technological advances, the IT industry is faced with a widening skills shortage. As a result, the race to acquire and retain the right talent and skills has never been so intense.

‘Boomerang Workers’ are one talent pool that is often underutilised, although more businesses are changing their attitudes towards the older workforce. These are retirees who later return to the workplace – whether motivated by financial needs, a desire to be intellectually stimulated or other reasons.

Today more retirees are returning to work than ever before and they play a major role in supporting organisations, helping the younger generation in their careers as well as closing the skills gap. Here are some ways you and your teams can benefit from working with a Boomerang worker.

Transferring knowledge to the younger generation – Valuable knowledge that often gets lost as the older generation retires can be retained by taking the time to transfer it to the younger generation. For organisations to remain successful, they will need a mix of both old and new skills that can be continuously developed to keep pace with today’s changing skills landscape.

A more diverse and balanced workforce – Diversity of all types is important in the workplace and many organisations today are starting to embrace generational diversity as part of it. Each person and generation brings different values to the organisation. Recruiting boomerang workers can not only help create a healthy mix of people of all ages at work, but also bring fresh knowledge, perspectives and ideas that can benefit the wider organisation.

Offering life and professional skills – No amount of training can make up for the decades of wisdom and experience older workers have acquired. Over the years they’ve most likely worked in various roles, locations, as well as with people who work in different ways. As a well-seasoned professional they’ve gained a sound understanding of business politics as well as qualities like resilience that will be of great value to organisations and their colleagues. They can provide the best of both worlds by providing knowledge from real world and professional experiences.

Learning and mentoring opportunities – The younger workforce tends to gravitate towards more experienced people for advice when they are starting out in their careers. There’s plenty they can learn from older workers, not just in terms of general knowledge and particular skills at work but also in terms of getting inspiration, learning about leadership, decision-making and implementing new ideas.

These are just a few of the many reasons why Boomerang Workers are avaluable source for today’s talents and organisations. The most successful companies have realised this and are developing ways to cultivate this large and highly skilled talent pool.

As always, balance is key, and a healthy mix of people of all ages and experiences is key to ensure they can learn from one another to avoid falling behind. Boomerang Workers can learn just as much from the younger generation to also develop new skills when returning to the world of work.