How AI Is Fueling the Worst UK Tech Talent Shortage in Decades

By now, it should come as no surprise that businesses in the UK struggle to fill a variety of high-skilled IT roles. It's a problem that's existed for decades now. Then, the loss of foreign talent associated with the UK's disconnection from the EU made things far worse. 

However, many UK business leaders expressed hope that the advent of AI would yield new solutions to the skills gap. They reasoned that new AI solutions would provide new opportunities for automation that would reduce some skills shortages. 

Here in 2025, it's becoming clear that AI has started making things worse rather than better. To elaborate, here's a look at AI's impact on the UK's talent shortages, and at some of the roles now in even higher demand.

AI and Automation Alters the Shape of the Skills Gap

The emergence of AI and automation has indeed alleviated the effects of some tech skill shortages in the UK. It has been especially beneficial in the realm of cybersecurity. Solutions that automate network monitoring and even execute proactive threat response have reduced demand for mid-level cybersecurity specialists. 

The same holds in the software development field. There, AI-assisted coding tools, along with a preexisting shift toward offshoring, have led to the first decline in software development jobs in the UK since 2006.

At the same time, however, growing business investment in AI is creating new skills shortages that may be even more pressing than those they replace. According to the London School of Economics and Political Science, the current UK tech job market now skews decidedly toward AI-related roles. 

Among those roles, AI and machine learning engineers are at the top of the in-demand list. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. At the time of this writing, the list of tech jobs with the most significant talent shortfalls looks nothing like it did even a few years ago.

The Most In-Demand UK Tech Roles in 2025

A cursory look at the most in-demand tech roles in the UK reveals a pronounced shift in the skills gap. It also helps explain where AI is helping alleviate the previous skills shortfalls, and where it isn't. Here are some of the job roles with the most openings as of 2025.

Cloud Architects

Cloud architects were very much in demand, even before the recent rise in AI and automation. However, what was once a hard-to-fill role is now doubly so. The reason is that cloud infrastructure is even more essential for any company adopting technologies like AI and automation. 

It's the only way for businesses to stay ahead of the computing curve without spending a small fortune. Cloud providers offer high-end servers with NPUs and GPUs suited for AI applications. However, making efficient use of those cloud resources demands an experienced cloud architect's skill.

Data Architects

If the professionals who design the infrastructure that AI operates on are in extreme demand, it's no surprise that data architects are, too. After all, data architects help build and maintain the data sets required to act as the foundation of all AI solutions. 

Without them, any customized AI model a business sought to implement wouldn't be possible. As a result, the recent surge in AI adoption in the UK has created a concomitant rise in demand for data architects. It has also turned the role into one of the top-paying IT jobs in the UK.

Solutions Architects

Another technology role experiencing a surge in demand in the UK is that of a solutions architect. Their job is to act as middlemen between the engineering staff and business end-users. Specifically, they analyze business needs and develop plans that pull together various technology resources to meet them. 

For example, a solutions architect might work with an AI engineer to create an algorithm that can scan accounting data for specific signs of fraud. To work effectively, solutions architects must have a thorough understanding of both business processes and available technologies. Candidates who meet those requirements are few and far between in the UK in 2025.

Cybersecurity Specialists

Although, as previously mentioned, AI and automation have eased demand for mid-level cybersecurity specialists, they have not eliminated demand for cybersecurity skills. Specifically, there's a large and growing demand for cybersecurity managers and engineers. 

Those are the high-level roles responsible for the deployment and maintenance of the automated solutions that drove down mid-level demand. They're also the people with the skills necessary to protect all the new AI and automation solutions working their way into businesses. As a result, the cybersecurity skills gap is smaller and looks different from what it did a few years back, but it remains an issue for UK firms.

The Takeaway

The bottom line is that, rather than solving the longstanding tech talent shortage in the UK, AI and automation are merely altering its complexion. Additionally, it's invalidating many of the training efforts UK schools and businesses were hoping would solve their staffing problems. 

It guarantees that students now emerging from schools and training programs are building skills to meet needs that no longer exist. The takeaway here is that most firms in the UK need to reassess their skill acquisition plans in light of recent developments. Failure to do so soon may leave many in worse shape than they were before the emergence of wide-scale AI and automation use.