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Are There Still Jobs in Tech? UK Tech Job Market 2026 | Walbrook


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"There are no jobs in tech" – let's look at the evidence

You've seen the news; we've seen the news. Headline after headline states AI is going to take your job or lead to huge layoffs at big tech firms.

We're here to tell you there are jobs in tech, and where you can find them. This is backed by data from the UK Government, the World Economic Forum, and the expert insight of Professor Alastair Irons, MSc Computer Science Lead here at Walbrook Institute London.

About the expert:

Professor Alastair Irons is the MSc Computer Science Programme Lead at Walbrook Institute London.

He has held senior academic and computing roles across multiple UK institutions and brings extensive industry and research experience to the programme.

The insights quoted in this article are drawn from an interview conducted in June 2026. 

The disconnect between headlines and reality

If you've been impacted by the changing landscape of tech, scrolling on social media or reading the news lately, you'd be forgiven for thinking the industry has fallen off a cliff. Layoff announcements from large US tech firms generate thousands of shares, and "I’ve applied for 200 jobs and heard nothing" posts go viral. It’s understandable that many people feel uncertain about their future in the industry, and anxiety surrounding this is real. It's just not always the full picture.

The truth is more nuanced: demand for skilled computing professionals in the UK is high, as we’ll outline in this article, but the types of skills employers are looking for has shifted significantly. The gap isn't between jobs and candidates, it's between the skills employers urgently need and the skills available in the market.

There's also a factor that rarely makes headlines: a demographic shift, quietly happening inside IT departments across the country, that doesn't show up much in the media, but is generating significant hiring volume. As Professor Irons explains:

The age profile of people working in IT is skewed heavily towards older age groups, and that's creating a real gap for new talent to fill.

Headshot-Prof-Alastair-Irons-Quote
Professor Alastair IronsAcademic Lead for MSc Computer Science

The UK's tech sector reached a combined market valuation of $1.6 trillion in 2026, with AI companies now accounting for a third of that value.

Tech Nation Report2026

Which roles are actually in demand?

Harvey Nash's 2026 Tech Talent & Salary Report (which is drawn from LinkedIn data on global Engineering and IT job postings) gives us the clearest picture of where employers are actively hiring.

Top 10 most in-demand tech roles in 2025:

1. Software Engineer
2. Data Analyst
3. Data Engineer
4. Full Stack Engineer
5. Solutions Architect
6. Systems Engineer
7. Java Software Engineer
8. DevOps Engineer
9. IT Consultant
10. Data Scientist

Man using a PC and headphones in an office setting

The fastest-growing roles (Tech Talent & Salary Report 2026, Harvey Nash) tell an equally compelling story. The number one fastest-growing tech occupation in 2025 was Generative AI Engineer. A role that barely existed three years ago. Software Engineering Advisor and Software Engineering Technician both appear in the top ten fastest-growing occupations, confirming that software expertise remains a foundational requirement even as AI reshapes the landscape.

Tech demand is spreading across every sector

One of the most important, and least discussed, shifts in the job market is that tech skills are no longer concentrated in "tech companies." The industries with the highest volume of tech job postings in 2025 include Professional Services, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Retail, and Healthcare. Construction and Real Estate are among the fastest-growing sectors for tech hiring (Tech Talent & Salary Report 2026, Harvey Nash).

This means a Computer Science graduate isn't competing in a single narrowing funnel. They're walking into a market where almost every major employer needs their skills. And crucially, many of the best opportunities aren't at the companies' people typically think of as "tech firms".

As Professor Irons puts it:

The NHS is the biggest IT employer in the UK and the vast majority of students won't think that.

Professor Alastair IronsAcademic Lead for MSc Computer Science

From local government to policing to manufacturing, organisations that don't present themselves as tech companies are running enormous IT operations. Students and job seekers who focus only on household-name tech companies are searching a fraction of the actual market.

86% of employers expect AI and information-processing technologies to transform their business by 2030, and they need the people to make that happen now (World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report, 2025).

The salary picture

Salaries reflect genuine market demand. According to Harvey Nash's 2026 data, UK software engineers earn an average of £70,000 per year in permanent roles, with upper-range positions reaching over £100,000. UK employers pay a 14% wage premium on average for roles requiring AI skills, with the technology and legal sectors paying the highest premiums (PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2024).

Data from the UK Government's Graduate Labour Market Statistics further underscores the value of postgraduate study: postgraduates earn a median annual salary of £45,000 compared to £40,000 for graduates and £29,500 for non-graduates (UK Government, 2024).

AI isn't replacing developers. It's changing them

This is one of the most persistent anxieties in today's job market and it deserves a direct answer. Professor Irons is clear:

AI isn't replacing jobs, it's changing them. The job's still there, but you need an AI skill set in addition to the traditional things, and that applies across every discipline, not just tech.

Professor Alastair IronsAcademic Lead for MSc Computer Science

At Walbrook, this is built directly into how the MSc Computer Science is taught. Rather than treating AI as a standalone topic, it has been embedded as a thread running through every module. By the time you graduate, working with AI isn't a separate skill you've bolted on, it's simply part of how you think and work. 

For many roles, AI is adding new responsibilities, although its impact will vary between organisations and occupations. Just as cybersecurity became an integral part of software engineering over the past decade, a connection that would have once seemed niche, AI literacy is now becoming inseparable from every technical role. At Walbrook, this is reflected in the programme design: AI has been embedded as a central thread running through every module, including a dedicated module on how AI is transforming the software engineering role specifically.

The World Economic Forum projects demand for AI and Machine Learning Specialists will grow by 40%, adding one million new jobs globally. In the UK, 57% of businesses already plan to adopt Agentic AI within the next three years, intensifying demand for specialists even further (WEF Future of Jobs Report, 2025).

Co-workers discussing something on a computer screen

Meanwhile, the UK ranks third globally for AI talent, 680+ AI startups launched in 2025 alone, and Government AI Growth Zones created more than 15,000 new jobs in 2025–2026 (Tech Nation, 2026; DSIT, 2026).

The skills gap is real and it favours you

Here's what the data from the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology tells us:

In their 2025 AI Labour Market Survey (one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind) 97% of respondents identified at least one gap in skills in the AI labour market. That's virtually every business in the sector acknowledging it cannot find the people it needs.

  • 57% of businesses report a technical AI skills gap, with understanding AI concepts and algorithms being the most cited deficiency (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) AI Labour Market Survey, 2025).
  • 35% of organisations are actively struggling to fill AI roles right now, with lack of work experience and insufficient technical skills as the main barriers (DSIT AI Labour Market Survey, 2025).
  • Computing remains only the eighth most popular undergraduate subject in the UK, with just 6% of UK undergraduates starting computing degrees in 2025, down 3% on the previous year, creating a structural supply shortage for employers. (BCS / UCAS data, 2025).

The Royal Academy of Engineering warned explicitly that a skills shortage in computing could prevent the UK from meeting its AI ambitions. Software engineering is the single hardest area to recruit for in tech, with 62% of employers reporting significant hiring challenges, ahead of data science (47%) and cybersecurity (41%) (mthree Diversity in Tech Report, 2025).

How to stand out in the tech job market

Now that we've looked further into the data, it appears that the challenge isn't the absence of jobs. That in fact, the job market is growing and understanding where the demand is – and how employers’ needs are changing – can help you focus your search and strengthen your position. Here's what the data and Professor Irons' insight tells us works.

  • 1. Go out of your way to learn about AI and machine learning

    Understanding AI concepts and algorithms is the most prominent skills gap cited by employers. As Professor Irons notes, structured academic study which includes AI principles gives you the theoretical grounding that hirers are desperate for, and that short courses simply don't cover. 

  • 2. Don't get hung up on job titles

    One of the most common reasons why job searching can feel discouraging is that the search itself might be too narrow. The roles of systems analyst, programmer, full-stack developer, and software engineer can describe near-identical work. Widening your search often brings up opportunities you didn’t realise were there. As Professor Irons puts it:

Take 10 companies and they will have exactly the same job, but with 10 different labels on them.

Professor Alastair IronsAcademic Lead for MSc Computer Science

  • 3. Look beyond "tech companies"

    The NHS is one of the UK's biggest IT employer, and yet employers like the NHS may be overlooked by candidates concentrating on traditional technology companies.. Local government, policing, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing all run substantial IT operations. Tech demand is growing fastest in sectors like Construction, Education, and Healthcare.  

  • 4. Look for practical ways to demonstrate your skills

    The two most common barriers employers cite are lack of experience and insufficient technical skills. Professor Irons' advice: pursue real-world projects with actual clients, do volunteer work, get involved with the British Computer Society (BCS) or other professional bodies, and attend job fairs and sector showcases. These build the portfolio that makes you stand out.

  • 5. Grow your professional network actively

    Professional networks and industry events can help you discover opportunities that may not appear in a standard job search. Sign up to specialist recruiters, attend in-person events, and make yourself visible in the communities where hiring decisions are made. 

  • 6. Treat the MSc as a differentiator, not just a qualification

    When asked why an MSc is important, Professor Irons is direct: employers are conservative and understand exactly what a master's degree signals, for example the breadth of content, the volume of work, the depth of thinking. A two-hour coding course teaches you a trick; a master's degree teaches you how to think, and employers know the difference. 

It's not so much the specific tool that's important, it's the underpinning theoretical principles.

Prof. Alastair Irons
Professor Alastair IronsAcademic Lead for MSc Computer Science

  • 7. Embrace AI as a skill multiplier

    For candidates concerned about the effect of AI, developing confidence with these tools may help make you a more valuable candidate. UK employers pay a 14% wage premium for AI-skilled roles. At Walbrook, AI is embedded across all programmes so graduates leave not just AI-aware, but AI-capable. 

Ready to build the skills employers need?

There is a real demand for skilled computer scientists. Our MSc Computer Science programmes are specifically designed for those of you hoping to build careers in tech – no prior computing experience needed. You can graduate in as little as 1 year full-time basis – ready to work with the tech of today and prepared to work with the tech of tomorrow.

Explore our MSc Computer Science programmes

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