The mainstream media is fond of headlines about the unpredictability of future skills requirements, stating that anywhere between 65% and 85% of today’s children’s jobs do not yet exist. Who knows where those finger-in-the-air statements originate, but one thing’s certain: demand for an ever-evolving range of tech skills not only creates a constantly changing recruitment landscape, it also creates challenges across both tech and conventional sectors, as competition for talent increases exponentially.

At Morson Group, we believe responding to those challenges requires more than fishing in the same limited ponds for the right people and skills. There is an acute imperative to identify, develop and deploy talent from a much wider demographic, and engage with employers on a strategic level to help them plan their talent pipeline for current and future needs.

As an international recruitment company, the fierce demand for tech talent and the fast-paced evolution of the skills those people need are trends that we’re seeing played out across the UK and around the world. But the tech talent supply/demand dynamic in the Greater Manchester city region is specific and severe.

With a £5bn digital ecosystem, Greater Manchester is the UK’s top digital tech city outside London, with a huge variety of business models and tech disciplines across the city region’s 10,000-plus digital and tech businesses. A recent study – appropriately enough conducted by AI – found that Manchester is recognised as a leading location for tech businesses in fields as diverse as AI, data, cybersecurity, ecommerce, IoT, and fintech.

It’s a fantastic story of success and transformation. The epicentre of the UK’s industrial revolution is now a powerful force in industry 4.0, but success comes with challenges. Tech employers are vulnerable to skills shortages, remuneration inflation, and rapidly changing talent needs as both technology and the ways in which we utilise it expand exponentially.

Addressing a challenge on this scale requires robust training and HR strategies that consider talent pipelines and current recruitment goals. As recruiters, we not only need to think creatively about how we support our clients, but we also must engage with potential candidates and develop end-to-end solutions that will deliver both skills for employers and opportunities for people from all demographics.