The 2018 Tech Nation report is now out and has highlighted tremendous growth in Hull's digital sector with an outstanding 15 percent increase in the number of tech jobs recorded since 2014. The report indicates that there are now over seven thousand digi-tech jobs in the City and the annual digi-tech turnover is a reported £568m with a calculated turnover per employee being an impressive £133k (see fig 2) the highest in the North of England and beaten only by London, Bristol and Plymouth. Over the past two years companies such as Arco, a leading health and safety equipment provider, and Saab, a global defence and security technology company, have moved their digital teams to the heart of the city to benefit from the knowledge and expertise in the cities tech community.
Fig 1. Hull's annual tech employment is seeing consistent growth. Source Tech Nation report 2018: https://technation.io/insights/report-2018/hull/
"The Tech Nation 2018 Report is part of a groundbreaking annual series that captures the strength, depth and breadth of digital tech activity in the UK." - Tech Nation 2018 Report
Findings in the 2018 report indicate that Hull's digi-tech sector has seen consistent growth since 2014 - see fig 1.
C4DI Managing Director, John Connolly, was voted by local startups as one of the most influential individuals in the sector. When asked by Tech Nation, what made Hull unique John responded:
"Central to the growth of the tech scene in Hull is the slow-tech worlds of traditional organisations coming together with the fast-tech world of tech startups and scaleups" - John Connolly, Tech Nation 2018
A helpful community, close proximity to a university and fast internet speeds were also voted by the tech community as some of the key attributes for the area.
Tom Lewis - Head of New Business at Ash TV
We asked Tom Lewis, one of Hull's youngest entrepreneurs, what he thought the report meant for Hull:
"Hull is making huge, progressive, strides towards a fully matured tech scene and has a great set of assets for growth - such as the tech community though I think we still a few key moves to make. It's an honour for Ash, and Ash TV to be featured in the report this year, and great recognition for the work we've put in during our venture so far." Tom Lewis - Head of New Business at digital startup Ash TV
The report also highlighted that the UK's tech sector has cemented leadership on a global stage and described the countries developers as being highly collaborative and connected. Prime Minister Theresa May praised the UK's strength in Technology and Innovation - describing it as 'World Leading' - Tech Nation 2018 Report.
Fig 2. Key stats for Hull. Source Tech Nation report 2018: https://technation.io/insights/report-2018/hull/