Analysis from Accenture has found that there were 52% fewer roles listed for professionals with technology skills at the end of 2019, compared to the previous six months.

The company’s ‘Tech Talent Tracker’ analysed data from LinkedIn’s Professional Network, and showed that there are currently 78,000 job vacancies advertised that require skills in emerging technologies, down from 162,000 in June. This decrease was driven by a 64% reduction in the number of advertised jobs for data analysts.

Zahra Bahrololoumi, head of Accenture Technology in the UK & Ireland, urged caution to businesses that have already put, or are considering putting, a complete freeze on hiring.

“The drop in available roles listed could mean that businesses are dialling back on large-scale innovation projects”, she said.

“The second half of 2019 was one of uncertainty for the UK and businesses practices seem to have reflected that. However, we would expect that number to bounce back throughout this year as companies look to innovate and grow through new technology initiatives,” Bahrololoumi added.

Despite an overall drop in available roles, there is a rise in people training in tech skills. The second half of 2019 saw an 11% increase in the number of people with capabilities in data analytics, AI, blockchain, extended reality and quantum computing. As a result, the UK now has more than 470,000 professionals with emerging tech skills.

There are areas where demand for people with such skills did continue to grow. Cambridge, the second-largest artificial intelligence (AI) hub in the UK, saw advertisements for AI professionals rise by 35% – 13% higher than the national average.

Demand for blockchain skills also jumped significantly, with advertisements for roles increasing 83% across the country.

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Additionally, Glasgow saw a significant rise in the number of tech professionals. The city is known as one of Britain’s quantum computing hotspots and has the fourth largest pool of professionals in the field, compared to London’s which saw it’s share of tech talent in the UK decrease from 37% to 29%.

Chris Gray, managing director and Manchester lead at Accenture commented: “The growing number of people equipping themselves with skills for the future proves that the UK has maintained its credential as a top destination for businesses looking to innovate. But even more importantly, we’re starting to see our top tech talent spreading more evenly across the country.

“Whether you’re a start-up looking for a home to set up shop or an enterprise looking for digital talent, you now have more options than ever. These new opportunities will inspire the next generation of tech talent and get us closer to a more diversified economy.”