Analysis of LinkedIn’s members based in the European Union (EU) revealed that London was the number one city for European tech talent moving for work, with London welcoming more EU tech workers than any other European city last year. The city also attracted tech workers from countries outside of Europe, including India, with the data showing that London was the most attractive European tech hub for international tech talent from outside of the EU in 2017. “London is the tech capital of Europe and home to some of the best tech and creative minds from across the world. Global tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google continue to invest in London because of our city’s diverse international tech workforce, and our start-up ecosystem is vibrant and innovative,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Making a post-Brexit pitch for the city, Khan added that he plans to continue to lobby the UK government on the importance of remaining part of the European Union (EU) Single Market and Customs Union to protect London’s status as a global tech hub. “Since the Brexit result we’ve regularly analysed our data to help companies understand how it may impact their business as it relates to talent. It’s clear that within the technology sector, London remains an incredibly attractive place for people to further their careers, develop new skills and find employment,” said Joshua Graff, Head of LinkedIn UK.
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In related research conducted by LinkedIn in 2016, India had ranked the highest in terms of the proportion of tech professionals choosing the UK as their base at 12 percent. The US (10 percent), Australia (7 percent), Spain (6 percent) and France (6 percent) completed the top five nationalities that were drawn to Britain with tech skills. Separate research by Stack Overflow, the world’s largest developer community, shows that London is home to more software developers than any other European city, with over 250,000 workers across the capital. Based on latest analysis of Stack Overflow’s 50 million monthly users, London is the top European hub for professional developers, followed by Paris, Madrid and Berlin.
“London remains a leading destination for global developer talent to build their careers. Our data shows that London’s developer community is by far the largest of any European city, offering a major attraction to global enterprises and the innovative startups pioneering cutting-edge technologies,” said Natalia Radcliffe-Brine, Regional Director at Stack Overflow. Facebook had recently announced it will create an extra 800 jobs for its new London office this year, citing the city’s “flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem” and “international reputation for engineering excellence”.
Online music streaming service, Spotify also announced it will expand its R&D operation in London and double its developer headcount, pointing to London’s “vibrant start-up community” and “wealth of great tech talent” as reasons to invest. Last year, Amazon revealed plans to increase its R&D staff in London from 450 to 900 tech roles as it opened its new UK headquarters in Shoreditch, east London. This was followed by the news that Google has started work on its new London headquarters, set to house up to 7,000 employees. Meanwhile, Apple also plans to open a new London headquarters in 2021 for its 1,400 London-based staff.
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