An eyebrow-raising piece in the business pages of today’s Yorkshire Post which revealed that there are more than 400 “hidden” vacancies in the Leeds digital sector, costing an estimated £15million in lost benefit to the local economy.
A piece of sharp analysis from technology recruitment firm Herd found that there were 426 digital vacancies in Leeds in October, with some posts being left vacant for six months.
“Cities are complex and understanding the digital economy has always been a challenge,” Herd founder Amy De-Balsi told the paper.
“People are constantly arguing about what constitutes a digital company, whether a digital sector exists because most businesses use technology and before those arguments are even settled, the digital world has moved on. Leeds is no exception.”
And whilst the city has worked hard to grow its reputation in digital industries, not a single UK or multinational technology big player is headquartered here.
But never one to stand on the sidelines, Amy – who I was proud to work with at Yorkshire Forward – is doing her bit by bringing digital leaders together to work for a solution.
The Herd website promotes vacancies across a growing number of digital companies including Epiphany, The Test People, Web Anywhere and Immedia Solutions.
You can see what’s currently available by visiting www.leedsherd.co.uk
“There is huge support for Leeds to be put on the map,” said Amy. And she’s right.