Rising Software Development Companies To Watch As Tech Vacancies Soar In Birmingham
If you're looking for a job in the tech industry, Birmingham is quickly becoming the go-to place. The ‘City of a Thousand Trades’ is no longer just known for its rich manufacturing past and list of food hotspots catering to food fanatics. In recent months, hiring for the tech industry has soared. According to the latest data for May, there were over 132,000 vacancies recorded in a single week - higher than pre-pandemic levels. Vacancies are now at their highest level since 2016, with Birmingham and Manchester leading the way. In the past two years, more companies have chosen to move their software development operations outside of London in favour of these cities. Currently, Birmingham has the third-highest amount of tech vacancies - many of which are in the software development sector. From healthcare startups to financial services giants, here is a glimpse of how Birmingham is quickly becoming the centre of software development.
Goldman Sachs Chooses Birmingham As It Software Development Site
Earlier this month, Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs unveiled its plans to move into a WeWork space in Birmingham. The company has indicated its plan to hire mainly local staff for its initial 150 employee headcount, starting in September. The investment bank will be predominantly moving its engineering division to Birmingham, with a mixture of new hires and employee transfers expected to staff the new office.
However, Goldman Sachs’ move out of London is more than a coincidence: it signals a shift in the financial services industry towards other regions of the UK, including Birmingham. Nearby, a new National Infrastructure Bank is set to go up in Leeds. Goldman Sachs’s choice to move its engineering division to Birmingham further cements the city’s status as an upcoming talent pool in the technology industry. In fact, the company has already begun recruiting for various software engineer positions at its new Birmingham location.
HSBC Announces Its Headquarters Relocation To Birmingham
Continuing in the financial and technology industries, banking giant HSBC announced its relocation to Birmingham in 2015. Over the initial four-year period, the bank relocated over 1000 of its employees - and hired hundreds more in the local area. With approximately 220,000 employees, the West Midlands is now seen as the second-largest financial hub in the UK. The intersection between the financial services sector and the software development industry has only grown stronger as well. HSBC recently launched its API Suite Developer Portal, aimed at giving customers access to the right API tools for their business or personal needs. The initiative is just the latest example of how financial institutions are adapting to the ever-evolving SaaS business model by offering multiple services in one product. Further expansions for the on-demand software are expected to continue in the coming months, as the bank rolls out its SaaS solution to 15 markets. This is expected to be significantly boosted by the additional strengthening of HSBC’s software development team in Birmingham.
Belfast-Based Software Company Kainos Expanding Its Birmingham Base
Tech company Kainos launched in Birmingham in 2019, and currently employs 150 staff. However, the company has indicated plans to expand its workforce. In 2019, Kainos pledged to hire 100 Birmingham employees within a year. According to Brendan Mooney, CEO of Kainos, 'Birmingham is the biggest digital hub outside of London, so it's a natural fit for us to set up camp here. Mayor Andy Street's plan embodies the kind of forward-thinking that we need from public leaders to ensure that all cities in the UK, not just London, can compete by making sure the needs of the digital sector are considered, and delivering the infrastructure that can help business succeed, so you can imagine our delight that he can host our event.'
The company has kept up with its dedication to hiring local talent in the software development arena. Fast forward to today and the Kainos career portal had 70 listed vacancies in Birmingham, ranging from talent acquisition to UX designer and platform engineer. With clients like Netflix and Booking.com, the presence of the company in Birmingham is seen as a significant indicator of budding confidence in the city as a tech hub.