The thriving Leeds tech sector has been backed to suck in more talent.
Andy Williams, managing principal of digital health at Answer Digital, says the region is becoming “like a magnet”.
The Leeds-based software development firm is growing within the thriving Yorkshire hub.
“The biggest challenge around growth is recruitment and the quality of people who are able to be employed within this sector,” he told BusinessCloud.
“The region is like a magnet.
“The more vacancies you have, the more people that you recruit, the more jobs that you create.
“And the more people are going to graduate to the area as a result.”
Leeds boasts the fastest-growing average digital salary – a huge 29 per cent increase in just three years up to 2015.
There are more than 23,000 people employed in digital roles in Leeds.
Cities looking to Silicon Valley for inspiration in growing their digital clusters often highlight the importance of a ‘halo’ brand in boosting prestige and attracting like-minded tech talent.
Leeds has already got its ‘unicorn’ in the form of Sky Betting and Gaming, which has expanded rapidly and was valued at £800m when a majority stake was sold to CVC Capital Partners in 2014.
“The sector is clearly growing,” Williams added.
“We’ve got some strong companies in the region, from the SMEs such as ourselves to the very large nationals such as Sky Betting and Gaming.”