While Ireland tops the fastest-growing IT worker rankings once again, other European countries are catching up.
It’s been a big year for the European tech scene, according the State of European Tech 2017 report.
From the triggering of Article 50 to formally start the Brexit process, to the election of French president Emmanuel Macron, a lot has happened to dramatically affect the tech industry all over the continent.
But, throughout these changes, Ireland has managed to stay on top of the growing tech talent scene. The report shows that Ireland has the fastest-growing tech worker population in Europe.
This is nothing new. According to the data, Ireland reigned supreme in 2016, too. However, the lead it had on other European countries was much larger then.
Infographic: The State of European Tech
Now, countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands are closing in and overtaking countries that were much higher in 2016.
For example, in 2016, the UK had the third-fastest-growing tech worker population. In 2017, it’s down to seventh place, behind the Czech Republic.
The impact of Brexit
According to the report, the European tech community views the triggering of Article 50 as the most impactful event of 2017 when it comes to Europe’s tech ecosystem.
Additionally, 27pc of UK founders are less confident about the future of European tech than they were a year ago. This is a stark contrast to approximately 6pc of founders from all other countries.
This comes as no surprise, given that the vote for Brexit led to a flurry of coverage about what this all means for UK tech workers and, indeed, what it might mean for other countries.
Ireland could stand to benefit both from a tech talent perspective and from a jobs perspective.
However, despite the fallout and possible negative implications of Brexit for the UK’s tech ecosystem, it is still Europe’s dominant destination for tech talent moving around Europe.
Ireland has fallen slightly in the rankings when it comes to attracting European tech talent, which could be strongly related to its severe accommodation crisis.
