Scotland’s digital technology sector is set to be one of the biggest drivers of the Scottish economy over the next ten years, showing no sign of slowing in the face of Brexit.
The digital technology sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the region, according to a new report from Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish government-backed Digital Technologies Skills Group.
Their report found that it accounted for 5 percent of Scotland’s total business base and employs 2 percent of the national workforce. Scotland’s tech sector has grown exponentially over the past five years, with the number of tech businesses rising by 53 percent between 2010 and 2015.
The report said that was creating “unprecedented demand” for digital skills, with Scotland holding up to 12,800 tech job opportunities annually.
Scotland’s digital technology sector covers a wide range of expertise, augmented reality and robotics to shopping made simple. This includes Think Analytics, who produced an Emmy Award winning media analytics platform to give broadcasters and service providers new insights into subscriber behaviour, and Cobra Mobile, one of the first international game developers to release games on Apple’s App Store.
Commenting on the research, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: “Scotland has a proud tradition as a digital leader and today this government is putting digital technology at the heart of everything we do, from reforming our public services to boosting digital skills and fostering our tech sector.
“In March this year we published our ambitious, refreshed, digital strategy which reflects our vision for this area by aiming to create 150,000 digital jobs, ensuring all premises have access to broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps by 2021, and integrating digital into schools and further education.
“Today’s report is good news and underlines the importance of digital skills to our economic and inclusive growth.”