Employment characteristics

Self-employment

The incidence of self-employment has risen dramatically over recent years - for both IT specialists and workers more generally. In 2020, it is estimated that 13% of all UK workers and 11% of IT specialists (156,000) were working on a self-employed basis.

For both groups of workers, the incidence of self-employment was found to be higher amongst individuals that were from older age groups and amongst IT specialists. A difference of four percentage points was observed between those aged 50+ and those under 50 years of age.

Age and the incidence of self-employment (2020)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS

Employees and size of workplace

IT specialists working as employees are, perhaps understandably, more likely than others to be employed within larger workplaces^[2] (i.e., as micro / small sites are less likely to have an in-house function) and whilst just 28% of UK employees as a whole were working in larger sites during 2020 (those with 250 or more staff) a figure of 43% was recorded for IT specialist employees.

This observation was less pronounced for older IT specialists in 2020 - 40% of whom were working in larger workplaces during 2020 (44% or those aged 16-49).

Age and size of workplace (2020)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS

As illustrated in the chart above, IT specialists aged 50+ were also much more likely than others to be working in micro business sites, with comparison figure in this case of 22% and 12% respectively during 2020 (for employees aged 50+ / under 50).

Industry of employment

More than four in ten IT specialists (43%) over 50 years of age were working in IT businesses in 2020 and almost half (48%) of those aged 16-49. After IT, the next largest employment sector for IT specialists aged 50+ in 2020 was banking/finance (19% in each case) and then the public sector (16%); this was also true for IT specialists as a whole.

Looking in more detail at the levels of representation for older IT specialists in different industries, it can be seen that representation was highest in manufacturing, construction, the public sector and manufacturing businesses (over one quarter in each case) and lowest in energy and water businesses (17% over the past five years on average).

Age by occupation and industry (2020)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS
* Five-year average

^[2]The LFS asks individuals about the number of employees at their workplace as opposed to enterprise / organisation as a whole.