Age and IT employment

There were 362,000 IT specialists in the UK aged 50 and above during 2020 and at 22%, the level of representation for this group was much lower than that recorded amongst the wider workforce (i.e., 30%).

The level of representation for older workers in IT roles has increased over the past five years (up two percentage points between 2016 and 2020) and the increase was above that recorded for older workers more generally in the workforce (i.e., increasing by one percentage point over this period).

Trends in workforce representation (2016-20)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS

If the level of representation for older workers in IT specialist positions was equal to that amongst the working age population as a whole, there would have been 481,000 ‘older’ IT specialists in the UK during 2020 i.e., approximately 119,000 more than the number recorded.

Representation across the UK

The proportion of IT specialists aged 50+ lies been 26% and 36% for all the UK nations / regions, with London the area in which this age group is much more poorly represented - just 16% of IT specialists being of this age group during 2020.

London is, however, noted for a relatively young work force more generally - hence at seven percentage points, the difference in the level of representation for older workers in IT positions and workers as a whole, is around the norm.

By contrast, in the North East of England and Yorkshire & Humberside, representation of older workers in IT jobs is 12 percentage points below that recorded for the workforce as a whole.

Workforce representation by nation/region (2020)*

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS
* Figures for Northern Ireland supressed