The picture is clear: digital work is growing, and the official numbers back it up. The updated Digital and Technology sector definition contains 107,082 D&T sector companies, representing 5.2% of all companies within the UK GOV.UK's Digital and Technologies sector economic statistics. That is a large, established base of employers competing for the same skills.
The government also measures how many jobs the sector actually fills. DSIT's Digital Sector Employment estimates measure the number of filled jobs in the UK digital sector, with the latest figures covering April 2023 to March 2024 DSIT's Digital Sector Economic Estimates: Employment. Reading that alongside demand data helps you see where the gaps sit.
Demand is not spread evenly. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, a group of 193,000 workers, are among the occupations in critical demand, with three out of five indicators in critical demand in 2025 the Occupations in demand 2025 release from Explore Education Statistics. If you are hiring in these areas, expect competition and plan early.
Skills England has put a firm number on the next decade. Demand for key occupations will grow by nearly 25% in the next decade, with 1.8 million new priority jobs expected by 2035 a landmark Skills England report on key skills gaps. Digital roles sit right at the centre of that growth.
They also rank near the top of the priority list. Occupations in digital, adult social care, construction and engineering have the greatest additional employment demand between 2025 and 2030 the Skills England assessment of priority skills to 2030. More recent analysis repeats the point: digital, engineering and construction occupations appear most commonly among priority occupations, many already experiencing high recruitment demand and expected to keep growing strongly the Skills England annual skills report 2026.
AI is a big driver. For the total of AI-related occupations, the net change ranges from approximately 696,000 jobs in the Automation Scenario to 1,072,000 in the Technological Opportunities Scenario, with replacement demand rising from 3,077,000 to 3,193,000 jobs across these scenarios GOV.UK's AI skills labour market and skills projections. In plain terms, replacement demand means jobs opening up as people move on or retire, and it dwarfs the net new roles.
How people enter these roles is changing too. Apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 the DSIT AI Labour Market Survey 2025. That points to a wider talent pool if you are willing to train, not just buy in finished skills.
Start with the projections, not the job board. The government has committed to a partnership to upskill 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030, equivalent to around 20% of the UK workforce techUK's reporting from London Tech Week 2025. That tells you the supply of AI-literate people is set to widen, so building roles around trainable talent is a sound bet.
A few practical moves help. Map your critical roles against published demand data so you know where competition is fiercest. Widen your entry routes, including apprenticeships, given how fast they have grown as a share of AI hires the DSIT AI Labour Market Survey 2025. And plan for replacement demand, not just new headcount, because that is where most vacancies will come from GOV.UK's AI skills projections.
Speed matters as much as strategy. In a market where digital roles are already in critical demand the Occupations in demand 2025 release, the employer who reaches the right person first tends to win. Clear role definitions, quick decisions and a short process keep good people from slipping away.
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