Big rise in jobless starting new careers in IT industry

The tech sector has seen a huge influx of workers from other industries, according to new figures released by freelance recruitment web site PeoplePerHour.com, which show the sector playing a key role in the UK's economic recovery.

The figures reveal a 50 per cent increase in the number of redundant workers securing jobs in the digital sector, with most of these workers having secured a job working for an organisation's IT department or in a technology role.

PeoplePerHour.com also told V3.co.uk that 75 per cent of the new workers in the sector were working in an area unrelated to technology before being made redundant.

More than 30 per cent of the new jobs in the sector were created in IT, web programming and web design. A further 11 per cent were created in copywriting and editing, with 10 per cent secured in marketing and search engine optimisation.

PeoplePerHour founder and chief executive Xenios Thrasyvoulou told V3.co.uk that tech is "in the driving seat in what looks to be a stagnant economy".

"There's significiant innovation in the digital space. You just need to look at the whole ecosystem that sprung up around Facebook, the iPad and gaming industry, iPhone apps," he added.

"It's really what's driving the economy. All of this is creating demand for more digital talent, a lot of which works freelance."

The tech industry has been courted time and again by the coalition, as it seeks to attract foreign investment from web giants such as Google and Twitter and encourage investment in home-grown startups.

The government-backed Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is to plough £1m into UK tech startups, for example, in an attempt to boost the prosperity of the digital hub known as Silicon Roundabout in east London.