Leeds tech employment rises 60 per cent according to new report

Global real estate advisor CBRE has published its UK Tech Cities report ranking the top locations outside of London for tech businesses.

This latest research reveals Leeds tech employment has shown significant growth during the past seven years with information and communication employment in the city rising by 60 per cent.

All markets across the UK have been scored and ranked based on a number of factors including access to skilled talent, availability of office space, proximity to institutions providing high quality tech education, cost of living, and cost of employment.

The latest research confirms that Leeds continues to be a strong creative and tech sector location in comparison to other UK cities. As a tech sector destination Leeds continues to have a lot to offer.

According to the report, the city provides great choice and a strong quality of life in terms of urban lifestyles or rural environments and accommodates a number of creative tech clusters. In addition, Leeds benefits from good transport links, a young, highly educated talent pool, and strong university research ratings.

Furthermore, the city offers attractive business rates and office rents, as well as competitive labour costs and a relatively low cost of living compared to London and many South East locations.

Alex Hailey, senior director, CBRE Office Agency in Leeds said: “It’s great to see Leeds position itself firmly in the top 10 Tech locations in the UK. Leeds has an excellent talent pool coming out of our Universities and a high percentage of graduates decide to stay in the city, which makes it attractive to digital and tech companies.

“With the likes of Bruntwood SciTechs, Platform providing the perfect environment and support for tech companies to flourish, we’re now starting to see a real Ecosystem of tech companies in the City. As the Ecosystem grows, I only see Leeds strengthening its position in the top 10”

Mike Gedye, head of tech sector vertical, CBRE, added: “Across all cities, the UK tech sector has seen significant growth over the last decade and shown it is far from being a fleeting trend - but here to stay. Resilience over the pandemic period has proven to investors that venture capital funding into the UK tech sector will deliver success.

“Tech companies are now more than ever competing for the best talent and post-pandemic have broadened their horizons in hiring a more distributed workforce and will drive a new era of regional tech demand.”

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