Digital skills brand to attract top tech talent to Civil Service
A new brand, Government Digital and Data, has been launched today to bring together the growing number of digital and tech specialists working in government to improve public services in the long-term.
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New digital brand, known as Government Digital and Data, launched today, to attract top tech talent.
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Proportion of Civil Service working on tech and digital nearly doubles in five years, making the UK Government one of the biggest tech employers.
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Move comes as Government opens up to more digital secondments from the private sector.
Top tech talent will be recruited into key public sector roles through a new brand, the Cabinet Office has announced today.
The new brand, Government Digital and Data, has been launched today to bring together the growing number of digital and tech specialists working in government to improve public services in the long-term, through digital innovation and AI.
New figures revealed today also show that the proportion of digital, data and tech specialists has nearly doubled in the last five years, growing from 2.8% in 2018 to 5% this year.
The boost to digital skills in the Civil Service underlines how the UK Government is becoming one of the largest employers of digital and data professionals in the UK, rivalling big tech companies in the competition for talent.
The new Government Digital and Data brand unites the community of staff working in specialist roles, such as data analysts, software developers and infrastructure engineers, and provides a clearer career path for talent looking to come into the Civil Service.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart, said:
Digital talent is the driving force behind creating essential and accessible public services for everyone in the UK.
So we’re taking long-term decisions to attract the top talent into government. To do this, we’re launching a new brand, Government Digital and Data, to provide a more coherent network of specialists helping to tackle the biggest challenges government faces.
Embracing technology isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about crafting a government that’s agile and ready to support the needs of tomorrow and the digital talent community is essential to that.
New figures from the latest cross government workforce insights show that the digital and data workforce grew by 9% between October 2022 and April 2023 to a total of more than 28,000 professionals.
The growing workforce reflects a shift towards a digitally transformed, more efficient government, and reinforces government’s commitment to attracting the best UK digital talent.
By driving efficiency and boosting productivity through innovation, the growing digital workforce will help the government to meet its ambitions to reduce the overall civil service, and capping the headcount during this spending review period saving up to £1 billion by March 2025.
In recognition of the growing workforce, Government Digital and Data has been launched today as the first ever community leading digital transformation in government.
New insights have also revealed today that 79% of the total digital and data profession in government, and 66% of senior civil servants in digital roles, are based outside of London.
They also found that software developers are the most in-demand specialists in the profession, accounting for 13% of all filled roles in the Government Digital and Data profession.
Chief Digital Officer for Government, Mike Potter, said:
These figures show that Government Digital and Data should be viewed alongside tech giants as one of the largest and most exciting employers in the UK. And we have a unique selling point for prospective talent: our work is fundamentally about transforming lives for the better.
At the forefront of digital innovation, we’re shaping the future workforce with a strong focus on AI roles. Our commitment to cutting-edge technology and data is revolutionising government for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
The new umbrella brand aims to promote collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing across all government departments and the wider public sector.
As an employer rivalling the biggest tech companies in the UK, Government Digital and Data aims to attract prospective talent working in other sectors.
The strapline, ‘transforming lives through technology’ promotes the unique nature of public sector work, having a direct impact on people on a national scale.
This announcement comes as the government opened its Digital Secondments Programme for applications in September, which calls on the UK’s best technical minds from industry to work on the country’s biggest challenges, such as cyber security and new emerging technology.