The planning throughout October paid off with the UK launch of The Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report. First, ProServ secured a live interview on Sky News with Bev White, CEO of the Group, then a piece in The Times was achieved, and finally many pieces of tech coverage were landed, including – Computer Weekly, Tech-Monitor and IT Pro.

The report’s PR push led on the findings that the seemingly unending growth in the UK tech sector is under threat as massive skills shortages reach an all-time high just as companies signal their intentions to increase technology investment (61%) and headcount (66%) to record levels.

In collaboration with CIONET and contributed to by Massachusetts Institute of Technology CISR, the report also found that as the UK’s tech skills crisis reaches new heights, 8 in 10 digital leaders report that, post-pandemic, new life priorities amongst staff are making retention even more difficult. 4 in 10 in the UK admit they can’t keep key people as long as they would like, as they’re being lured away by the offer of more money. Only 1 in 3 organisations (38%) have redesigned their employee offer to make it attractive to staff in the new hybrid working world.

Bev White, CEO of Harvey Nash Group said:

“With businesses planning record levels of digital investment, we could be standing on the verge of a ‘second renaissance’ for technology. Organisations are looking to push their digital transformations further and faster than ever before, putting technology at the very heart of how they operate. This will take them beyond being merely ‘tech-centric’: technology will literally be dispersed throughout the business, everywhere.

But these ambitions are coming under threat from the acute skills shortages that are now worse than ever before. In fact, businesses face a triple whammy. They lack the supply of skilled resource they need; they have not yet evolved a new and effective employee proposition for the hybrid working world; and the skills they need are themselves changing as technology develops at pace. Digital leaders need to rapidly assess their needs and find solutions if their plans are not to be derailed by this potent cocktail of challenges.”