Preparing the United Kingdom workforce: The current state of tech skills

In-demand tech skills, the impact of skills gaps on practitioners, learning & development priorities . . . What do these look like in today’s tech landscape, and what can you expect 2026 to hold?

We surveyed 1,500 technology executives, IT practitioners, and business professionals across the United States, United Kingdom, and India to find out. 

While the three regions were relatively aligned, there were still some notable differences. Here’s what we found out about the United Kingdom’s tech skill landscape.

100% of tech leaders in the U.K. say tech skills gaps have a noticeable impact on teams’ ability to succeed. Most notably, they’ve noticed increased pressure on team members with specialized skills, increased burnout and turnover, and reduced collaboration or efficiency across roles.

What’s more, 48% of U.K. organizations have had to abandon projects because they lacked the right IT skills.

U.K. tech executives and practitioners say the most important tech skills are: 

1. IT support and systems management

2. Cloud computing and infrastructure (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)

3. Software development and automation (e.g., Python, Java, C++)

Notably, with the exception of cloud, none of these match the top skills gaps in the United Kingdom: cybersecurity, cloud, and DevOps. 

The skills U.K. practitioners think are most important to learn next year also span a range of domains. IT professionals say cybersecurity, cloud, and AI/ML are the most important tech skills to learn next year, while business professionals say AI/ML, DevOps, and cloud are their priority.

Tech leaders in the U.K. need to identify their gaps and determine the tech skills their teams actually need to deliver. From there, they can develop effective tech training that aligns with business outcomes.

Tech leaders in the United Kingdom say cloud, cybersecurity, and data are the most important areas of growth for their business in the next year. 

AI/ML came in fourth, putting the hype into perspective. While it can seem like a race to adopt and build AI solutions, leaders are focusing on the fundamentals to enable that transformation. 

If you’re a practitioner looking to learn new skills, these domains are a good place to start. 

U.K. leaders and practitioners listed communication, adaptability, and creativity as the most important soft skills.

Being able to communicate effectively will help you collaborate with other teams and share the value of your work.

What motivates U.K. technologists and business professionals to learn tech skills? For IT practitioners, it’s earning a higher salary (52%), gaining more career options (46%), and personal achievement (45%).

Non-IT professionals are motivated by improved confidence (54%), stronger job security (52%), and career advancement (50%). 

As a leader, keep in mind that tech and non-technical roles often have different motivations for learning tech skills. Take those factors into account when designing upskilling programs to boost employee engagement.

When it comes to breaking into the tech industry, British leaders and practitioners are more likely to value a formal education in tech when hiring for tech roles compared to their US and India counterparts. (A formal education consists of something like a university degree in Computer Science or IT.)

This isn’t to say that you can’t break into tech without a formal degree. Demonstrating a willingness to learn by completing bootcamps or earning tech certifications can help you get a foot in the door.

And for leaders? Don’t overrely on formal credentials. Doing so can limit your talent pool and cause you to miss out on some amazing people.

Across regions, IT professionals say earning tech certifications (like those from AWS, CompTIA, or Cisco) is the main factor in gaining promotions or raises. Tech executives in the United Kingdom agree.

But for IT practitioners and those in non-tech roles in the U.K., completing a microcredential or digital badge actually tops the list. 

If you’re a British professional looking to move up the ladder or earn a promotion, microcredentials and badges may be your best bet.

On average, 50% of U.K organizations spend between £5,000 and £10,000 on hiring and training a new IT employee. 80% spend less than £5,000 on upskilling an IT employee.

The bottom line: 88% of British tech leaders say upskilling is cheaper than hiring for tech roles.

96% of U.K. tech leaders say building a culture of learning is a priority at their organization. They tend to build this culture through providing access to a learning platform (45%), enabling managers to give time to learn (45%), and getting executive support for learning (44%).

Despite their efforts, 95% of British IT practitioners and business professionals say they need more resources to learn tech skills. 

Learn how to engage employees with outcome-based skill development—get the Tech Upskilling Playbook.

When it comes to evaluating tech skills, U.K. organizations rely on continuous learning and training participation (45%), skills assessments and tests (44%), and team and peer feedback (39%).

After implementing learning and development programs, U.K.-based tech executives look to the following metrics to track upskilling success:

• Use of skill that results in outcomes like improved employee or team productivity (48%)

• Financial value, including revenue growth and cost savings (44%)

• Proof of skill, such as skill assessment ratings, employee performance ratings, and promotions (42%)

Continually evaluating these metrics is key to closing skills gaps over time.

Dive deeper into all of the data—download the 2025 Tech Skills Report.