Press release

South Wales announced as one of UK’s fastest growing tech clusters

Alun Cairns: "This is great news and continues to form part of the UK Government’s long term economic plan”

From:
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and The Rt Hon Alun Cairns
Published
5 February 2015
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

South Wales has been announced as one of the fastest growing technology clusters in the UK – in an official report published by Tech Nation. Tech Nation is an interactive data project led by UK Government funded organisation Tech City. The organisation delivers programmes focused on accelerating growth of digital businesses across the UK.

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns said:

We live in an increasingly digital world, where reliable broadband is vital at home and at work. Wales is embracing this digital transformation and thriving as a result – with Superfast broadband being rolled out to homes and businesses across Wales.

High speed internet makes it easier for people to start their own business and ensure existing business are benefitting from this first class infrastructure. This is boosting the economy and creating jobs.

South Wales is already home to two superconnected cities and Cardiff’s internet exchange – making it one of the UK’s fastest growing tech clusters. This is great news and continues to form part of the UK Government’s long term economic plan

Tech Nation findings

  • Digital job growth is predicted to outperform all other occupation categories by 2020
  • 1.46 million people - 7.5% of the entire UK workforce - are currently employed in the digital industries
  • The UK’s fastest growing tech clusters in terms of new digital companies formed since 2010 include: Liverpool, Inner London, Belfast, Greater Manchester, Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove, South Wales and Bristol & Bath
  • Clusters with the highest density of digital companies (as a proportion of overall companies) are Brighton & Hove, Inner London, Berkshire (including Reading), Edinburgh and Cambridge
  • Clusters with the highest average company turnover are Greater Manchester, Belfast, Sheffield, Inner London and South Wales
  • 77% of digital companies within clusters say they benefit from access to a network of entrepreneurs to interact with and to share ideas

Updates to this page

Published 5 February 2015