The UK Information Technology (IT) sector is experiencing a range of staffing challenges that are affecting the ability of businesses to innovate, maintain competitiveness and meet the growing demand for digital transformation. These challenges are compounded by factors such as the rapid pace of technological change, skills gaps, and the global nature of the workforce. Key staffing challenges faced by the IT sector in the UK include:
1. Skills Shortage and Skills Gaps
The rapid growth of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data analytics, has created a high demand for professionals with specialized skills. However, there are not enough workers with the necessary expertise to fill these roles, leading to a talent shortage in high-demand areas. Many IT professionals have skills that are no longer aligned with the needs of businesses in the 2020s. According to various surveys, businesses are finding it difficult to find suitable candidates for technical roles such as data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, cloud engineers, and software developers. The gap is exacerbated by the continuous innovation in these technologies, which requires ongoing upskilling and reskilling of the workforce.
2. Talent Retention
Strong demand chasing limited supply has led to intense competition between companies, both within the UK and internationally. Skilled professionals, especially in niche areas, are often headhunted or receive multiple job offers, which makes it difficult for companies to retain their top talent. High turnover rates in the IT sector are common, with professionals often changing jobs every 1-2 years to seek better compensation, career advancement, or more appealing work environments. This constant churn increases recruitment and training costs for businesses and impacts continuity on long-term projects.
3. Diversity and Inclusion Challenges
The IT sector in the UK has long faced challenges related to gender imbalance, with women being significantly underrepresented in technical roles. According to recent reports, women make up a minority of the workforce in IT and technology development positions, leading to a lack of diversity in decision-making and innovation. In addition to gender, other underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, are also less likely to pursue careers in IT. Unconscious bias in hiring practices, a lack of mentorship, and a lack of role models in senior positions for minority groups can further discourage diversity in the sector. This limits the pool of candidates and reduces the potential for innovation and creativity within the workforce.
4. Recruitment Challenges
The IT sector is highly globalized, with companies often competing for talent from an international pool. Due to the shortage of qualified candidates, recruitment costs in the IT sector have risen. Companies are spending more on recruitment agencies, job boards, and headhunting services to fill roles. Additionally, the time it takes to recruit for critical IT roles has lengthened, which can delay projects and increase operational costs.
5. Cost of Training and Upskilling
The cost of upskilling or reskilling employees in emerging technologies can be a barrier for smaller companies, especially those that are struggling to meet the rising demand for IT services. Without access to affordable training programs, businesses face the risk of being left behind as technology evolves.
6. Brexit and Immigration Challenges
The end of free movement between the UK and the EU has led to difficulties in attracting skilled workers from the EU, which previously supplied a significant portion of the IT workforce. While the UK has introduced a points-based immigration system, it is still challenging for many IT professionals, particularly those from outside the UK, to navigate the visa and work permit process. This has contributed to a reduction in the number of overseas candidates applying for roles in the UK IT sector.
Despite immigration challenges, companies can explore options such as remote working or outsourcing to tap into international talent pools. It is preferable though to invest in visa sponsorships and immigration support for foreign workers requiring cost-effective, reliable and nimble mechanisms to employ non-British citizens. A global workforce also improves diversity, equity and inclusion in an organisation.
Organisations can use the Skilled Worker Visa route to recruit qualified staff from outside the UK, or newly qualified foreign students who have been studying in the UK. In addition, organisations can recruit skilled people who are in the UK on a Global Talent Visa.
Sponsor Licence
As with most sectors, the IT sector still may need a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence when recruiting from overseas. Passportia can assess whether the business qualifies and can prepare the application at a very competitive fee. A Sponsor Licence is a strategic investment for the future, a form of insurance for ensuring operational stability and a means to source scarce skills needed by the business.
In some cases, an existing sponsor licence in a company group or co-owned business can be extended to other businesses in the group. Ideally, one licence covers the whole group, providing flexibility in assigning migrant workers to different operations as needed.
Compliance and SMS Management
Passportia can conduct ongoing compliance to ensure that the sponsored staff are managed in a way that is compliant with the rules. This is very important and is of particular relevance in cases where workers will be posted to a third-party company.
Passportia can also manage your Sponsor Management System (SMS) to ensure that it is kept up to date and notified of staff or other relevant changes.
What can Passportia do for your visas?
There are many different ‘moving parts’ when considering international recruitment. Passportia will support and work with you to ensure the Sponsorship and Visa application process is compliant and completed as quickly and efficiently as possible. There is a report showing outcomes for a variety of scenarios.
Before a job listing is published, Passportia can assess the eligibility of a proposed job and compute the minimum salary required. Automated justification letters and reports are issued to demonstrate a high level of due diligence which is often overlooked but is essential should a compliance check be conducted.
For a potential applicant for a particular job, Passportia can assess eligibility for a Skilled Worker Visa or further Leave To Remain. Detailed reports are also issued explaining eligibility, costs and timings for a proposed period of sponsorship.
For the candidate chosen, Passportia can then prepare and submit the application for the Certificate of Sponsorship and visa (entry clearance) or further Leave to Remain, filling in all the Home Office UKVI forms. Passportia can deliver quicker submission and confidence in applications, allowing you to send confirmation to your offer-holders more quickly.
Our immigration platform, AORA, collects data and document scans from staff and job applicants using intelligent, smartphone-friendly, white-labelled questionnaires. This approach ensures your chosen applicant has a great initial user experience with the UKVI application process as their first step in securing a new opportunity in the UK.
Passportia can also assist with other visas relevant to the technology sector including, Global Business Mobility, Expansion worker and Innovator Founder visas
Passportia is powered by AORA Mobility
Passportia, an OISC-regulated company, uses the AORA Mobility platform to deliver increased time savings and higher levels of data consistency through the application of AI and process automation to Work Visa cases. Using AORA requires less staff time and reduces repetitive manual tasks, in many cases, users can save up to 75% of their time when compared to traditional manual processing.
Because of this increased efficiency, Passportia can offer very competitive prices for these services compared to traditional immigration consultancies and lawyers as clients are not being charged for practitioners' time to perform these tasks manually.
AORA is also available for organisations to use directly. By leveraging AORA, your in-house teams can also work more effectively, freeing their time to focus on other value-added tasks. Equally, if you prefer to outsource this process, you can still benefit from greatly reduced costs when compared to traditional immigration consultancy services.
Are you currently outsourcing skilled worker visas? Calculate how much you could save by using Passportia: AORA ROI Calculator
If you don’t already have a sponsor licence, Passportia can make an assessment of eligibility and make the application.
Interested in finding out more? Here’s a video which explains how easily and efficiently a Skilled Worker case is completed when using AORA:
If you’re interested in exploring how a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence could benefit your information technology business, then please get in touch with our experts today for a consultation.
PASSPORTIA IS
- A UK immigration & citizenship law specialist
- Powered by AORA technology
- Fast, flexible, precise
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Nigel Cleur Business Development Manager |
+44 (0)20 3695 5385 (UK)
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