Demand for UK tech and computing grads to soar

A report into UK demand for science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) graduates over the next eight years has projected growing requirements for tech and computing grads - and warned companies are likely to find it increasingly difficult to find the skills they need.

The report, The Demand for STEM Graduates: some benchmark projections, was compiled by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research for the government's Department for Innovation Universities and Skills among others. It predicts the biggest increase in demand will be for biological science graduates, with a 122 per cent hike expected by 2017.

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But demand for mathematical science and computing grads is set to be the next largest growth area, with a 95 per cent increase, followed by demand for technology graduates (80 per cent).

The report states: "The results suggest that, apart from medicine, the demand for most Stem subjects is likely to grow faster than for other disciplines over the coming decade. The present analysis does not enable a direct comparison with likely supply. However, if recent trends of young people moving away from Stem subjects continue, these results suggest that companies and organisations dependent on high quality Stem personnel will find it increasingly difficult to find the skills that they will need to operate and compete successfully."

The report adds that the older "age profile" of Stem-qualified workers means there will also be a significant need to plug workforce gaps created through retirement over the coming decade. "This need to refresh talent (replacement demand) is at least as important as so-called expansion demand arising from projected increases in employment levels for such workers," it says.

The report also points to an accelerating shift towards more highly skilled jobs. "Growth in employment is expected to be fastest for those qualified at the highest levels, while the number of those in employment with no or few formal qualifications is projected to decline," it states.