Are you logical, analytical and good at solving problems? Are you interested in how computers and software work? If you think you’d like to write the computer programmes that control aircraft systems, make sure that financial data is secure or design and install big computer networks, then this could be the industry for you.

Technology professionals are employed across all sectors, not just in technology. In 2025, the digital technologies sector in Scotland employed 87,600 people accounting for 3.2% of all Scottish employment. ¹

What areas can I work in?

There are many different sectors in the computing and ICT industry and you would usually specialise in a particular area. These include computer programming and software engineering, IT support, IT security, systems analysis and design, networks, database administration and web and multimedia.

Some areas of this industry are related to engineering, such as electrical and electronics work.

To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.

What kind of companies can I work for?

• large technology companies
• finance and commerce companies
• local government and the Civil Service
• the National Health Service (NHS)
• games development companies
• web design and development agencies
• aerospace companies
• manufacturing and engineering firms
• education.

What’s the job market like?

According to the Skills Development Scotland Digital Technologies report, mid-term employment in this sector is forecast to grow by 4.1% (3,600 people), and that by 2028 the workforce size will have grown to 91,200 people. This compares to a Scotland wide predicted increase of 2.5%, or 68,000 people. ¹

The same report predicts that in 2028, the top employing regions in the sector will be Edinburgh, East and Lothian, and Glasgow College Region, same as in 2025. The top employing occupation is forecast to be Science and Technology Professional Occupations. ¹

According to the latest ScotlandIS survey, there is still demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) skills, with 59% of companies identifying these as growth areas. The fact that 44% of the survey’s respondents were concentrated in Edinburgh and the Lothians reinforces this region’s role as Scotland’s primary digital technology hub. The strongest growth expectations for sectors which digital technology businesses currently serve are in energy and utilities (79%), financial services (76%), and healthcare and pharmaceuticals (75%). ²

Facts and figures

• In 2026, the most in-demand technical skills are JavaScript (41%), Python (39%), and SQL (37%). ²
• In 2025, the greatest number of people employed in digital technologies were estimated to be in Edinburgh, East and Midlothian (23,700), Glasgow College Region (21,800), West Lothian (8,200) and Lanarkshire (5,800). ¹
• Between July 2024 and June 2025 there were 5,700 job postings that required at least one AI skill across Scotland – these have quadrupled over the past decade. The top locations were Edinburgh and Glasgow City. The top job titles included Data Scientist and Data Engineer. ¹
• It’s estimated that the digital technologies workforce had higher qualifications than the Scottish average, with 76% qualified to SCQF Level 7 and above. ¹
• In the UK, from the academic year 2022/23, 80.7% of Computer Science graduates were in employment 15 months after graduating (full and part time) - of those, 63.4% worked as IT professionals. 3.9% of all Computer Science graduates went on to further study. ³

Want to find out more?

If you are considering a career in IT, take a look at Tech Skills Careers and the Screen Skills website, which has information on job roles in the computer games sector.

Sources

¹ Sectoral Skills Assessment: Digital Technologies, Skills Development Scotland (October 2025)

² Scottish Technology Industry Survey 2026, ScotlandIS

³ What do graduates do? Prospects (part of Jisc) and AGCAS (2025/26)

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Career Pathway