The UK financial services sector is facing its biggest technology skills shortage in over 15 years, driven by rapid advances in AI. Rhodri Hughes, Executive Director for Financial Services at Harvey Nash, featured in a recent City AM article, warns that this growing AI talent gap threatens the UK’s status as a leading global financial hub. Our 2025 Digital Leadership Report reveals a 260% (up from seventh to the most scarce technology skill) in just 18 months. Despite 89% of financial services tech leaders investing in AI, more than doubling from the previous year, over half are not providing essential AI training, widening the skills gap. Larger firms with budgets exceeding $500 million report better returns on AI investments, but intense competition for AI talent is leading financial institutions to recruit heavily from big tech companies. At the same time, internal software engineers are increasingly seeking AI experience to advance their careers. Looking ahead, Rhodri predicts that by 2030, UK banks will have smaller but more specialised tech teams adept at working alongside AI tools. However, as Rhodri explains, regulatory frameworks are struggling to keep pace, with few firms feeling ready for upcoming AI regulations, a gap Hughes highlights as a critical concern. Read the full City AM article featuring Rhodri Hughes here.

Management Today - Five ways to bridge the growing AI skills chasm In a recent article for Management Today, Ankur Anand, Chief Information Officer, and Andrew Neal, Chief People Officer at Nash Squared - parent company to Harvey Nash- shared their perspective on one of the most urgent challenges facing technology leaders today - the widening AI skills gap. With the latest Harvey Nash/Nash Squared Digital Leadership Report revealing that 9 in 10 organisations have some form of investment in to AI (up from just 59% only 18 months ago) the demand for AI capability has never been higher. In the UK, AI has rapidly risen to become the most in-demand tech skill, with over half of technology leaders now reporting a shortage in this area. Despite this, many organisations are still not investing in upskilling their teams or embedding AI training across their workforce. In the article, Ankur and Andrew reflect on the need for businesses to act with clarity and intent. This means setting a strong leadership vision for how AI will be used, allocating appropriate resources to learning and development, engaging with available government initiatives, and working closely with trusted technology partners to expand internal capabilities. Just as importantly, they highlight the shift in hiring priorities, where AI aptitude and willingness to learn are increasingly seen as non-negotiables for future-fit talent. As generative AI continues to evolve at speed, Ankur and Andrew provide a timely and practical perspective on how organisations can respond. In the full Management Today piece, they outline five principles to help businesses build a more AI-ready workforce, read the full article here.

In a recent Computer Weekly article, Graeme McNaull, Executive Director for the Public Sector at Harvey Nash UK&I, shared his perspective on how the public sector can better attract and retain digital talent. While salary is of course important and sometimes seen as the main hurdle, Graeme highlights the importance of showcasing the full value of public sector roles, from strong pension contributions to additional pay for high-demand skills. In the article, Graeme also challenges the perception that public sector tech lags behind. From AI adoption to major digital transformation projects used by millions, the work is often just as innovative (and arguably more impactful) than that in the private sector. With flexible working, a strong sense of purpose, and the opportunity to deliver meaningful change at scale, the public sector has unique strengths that are often under-communicated. Graeme also emphasises the need to streamline recruitment processes – from digitising applications to creating alternative entry routes like apprenticeships – to improve candidate experience and widen access to talent for the Public Sector. Read the full article on ComputerWeekly.com

AI becomes world’s most in-demand tech skill in shortest timeframe Half of global technology leaders now have an AI skills shortage Steep rise linked to 90% of tech leaders investing in AI But over half of companies aren’t upskilling in GenAI LONDON, 19th May 2025 - Artificial intelligence has created the world’s biggest and fastest developing tech skills shortage in over 15 years, finds a new Nash Squared/Harvey Nash report that has been tracking the views of technology leaders since the late 1990s. The Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report, the largest and longest-running survey of technology leadership in the world, found that AI has jumped from the 6th most scarce technology skill to number one in just 18 months – the steepest and largest jump in any technology skills shortage recorded for over 15 years. Almost twice as many technology leaders (51%) compared to the previous report (28%) now say they are suffering an AI skills shortage, an 82% jump. In the previous 16 years that Nash Squared/Harvey Nash has tracked technology skills shortages globally, the next biggest reported jump was a shortage in Big Data skills, with a jump of just 38%. Even with Cyber skills, for which demand continues to grow, the increase in scarcity has been gradual – rising from 16% in 2009 to 33% this year.This rapidly developing AI skills shortage is closely linked to a significant growth in investment, with 90% of global technology leaders now reporting they are either piloting AI or investing in small - or large-scale developments. This has skyrocketed from 59% in the previous Digital Leadership Report. Despite this steep rise, over two thirds (67%) of all technology leaders report they have not received measurable ROI from piloting AI. Larger organisations, however, are faring better in quantifying results: more than half (53%) of larger organisations with technology budgets exceeding $500 million report a measurable return.Although AI investment has helped create this rapidly-developing tech skills shortage, technology leaders and their companies still are working on how to respond to the crisis, and the report found that over half of companies (52%) are not upskilling in GenAI. But it is not just a skills question: operating models will need to change as the tech team is increasingly supplemented by AI and activities like software development are revolutionised. Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared said:“As AI continues to accelerate, the scale of the skills challenge is becoming clear. Businesses have a pressing need to ensure their technology teams are equipped with the skills to leverage AI to full effect, or the implementations they are making could fall short. As AI is so new, there is no ‘playbook’ here – it’s about a mix of approaches including formal training where available, reskilling IT staff and staff outside of the traditional IT function to widen the pool, on-the-job experimentation, and knowledge sharing and transfer. This needs to coincide with the development of a new operating model where AI is stitched in. Quite simply, those organisations that rise most effectively to the AI challenge will be in the driving seat to succeed.”AI shaping investment decisions:Boards backing AI-driven spend – Overall, as with other business functions in uncertain economic and geopolitical times, the outlook for technology budgets has dipped from the highs seen during and after the pandemic – but still, over a third (39%) of technology leaders expect their budget to rise.  Investment has become more selective. Boards are most attracted to clear business cases tied to operational efficiency and AI-powered growth.AI increases headcount rather than replaces it:AI organisations recruit more technologists – The organisations most ahead with large-scale implementations of AI are 24% more likely to be increasing their tech headcount than their peers, mostly in areas of AI and data.AI’s impact on future hiring - Tech leaders expect one in five of their technology jobs to be fulfilled by AI in the next five years. But the Nash Squared/Harvey Nash report highlights that AI isn’t replacing people, it’s changing the kind of people leaders want to hire and the operational models they are part of.AI equivalent to 3 years’ tech experience – Almost two thirds (65%) of tech leaders would choose an AI enabled software developer with just two years’ experience over one with a five-year career but without AI skills.Organisations that engage with Gen Z are making more progress in AI - Compared to the global average, organisations that attract, retain and incorporate the viewpoints of Gen Z are twice as likely to be prepared for the demands of AI and one-fifth more likely to report a measurable ROI from AI.Demand up for cyber skills - but down for software engineers:Demand for cyber security skills jumps - After a period of decline, cyber-attacks have once again increased, and the skill demand has grown in response (up 22% since the last report).Major decline in software engineer shortages – With software development the most widely adopted use case for AI, it appears to be plugging a skills gap that has long been a challenge to recruit. Software engineer shortages dropped 26% since the last report.Enterprise/solution architecture sees the biggest fall - The growth in agile methods as well as the use of cloud technologies has decentralised project delivery and reduced the need for heavyweight roles in enterprise/solution architecture.Cyber-crime jumps for the first time in five years:Major cyber-attacks are rising again – 29% of tech leaders were subjected to a major attack in the last two years, the highest level since 2019 (32%) and breaking a downward trend in the last five years.Threat from ‘foreign powers’ and ‘insiders’ rise steeply - While organised crime remains the primary cause for concern, there has been significant growth in the threat from ‘foreign powers’ (40% in 2022 to 50%) and ‘insiders’ (33% to 42%).DEI progress, but gender parity flatlines:DEI efforts remain strong despite shifting political winds - Four in ten organisations have ramped up their DEI focus over the last two years, and very few tech leaders report DEI reducing.Recognising neurodiversity - Around one-fifth of a tech team could be considered neurodivergent, and nearly half of leaders (47%) have practices in place to support neurodivergent talent.  Progress on gender is stuck - Just 23% of tech teams are women – the same as two years ago. Women in leadership has dropped from 14% to 13% since the last report.AI-focused organisations have increased tech leader pay:Pay rises - Over half of tech leaders have had a salary rise in the last year, but for four in ten, pay has remained static.Tech leaders that have had a pay rise of 10% or more are distinct - Firstly, their CEO is significantly more focused on technology making versus saving money for the organisation (73% compared to the 66% global average.) They are also more likely to have a large-scale implementation of AI (27% versus 19%) and more likely to be increasing tech headcount (50% versus 41%).Andy Heyes, Managing Director, Harvey Nash, UK&I and Central Europe concluded:“AI is front and centre of most organisations’ technology plans – and it’s encouraging to see that the businesses that are the furthest ahead also have the biggest people need. Rather than killing jobs, AI is changing them and creating new working models. It is also spilling over into a higher likelihood of pay rises, on average, for technology leaders. AI is changing the technology industry and the people dynamics within it, creating new fields of opportunity for those that embrace the challenge.”-ENDS-About the ReportIn its 26th year of publication, the 2025 Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report is the world’s largest and longest-running survey of senior technology decision makers. Launched in 1998 and previously called the Harvey Nash CIO Survey, it has been an influential and respected indicator of major trends in technology and digital for over two decades. This year the survey of 2,015 technology/digital leaders globally took place between 13th December 2024 and 26th March 2025 across 62 countries. This period captures the impact of major geopolitical changes that occurred following the change of Administration in the US.To request a full copy of the results, please visit http://www.harveynash.co.uk/research-whitepapers/digital-leadership-report-2025About Nash SquaredNash Squared are the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions.We’re equipped with a unique network, that realises the potential where people and technology meet. For over three decades we’ve been helping clients solve broad and complex problems, building and transforming their technology and digital capability.www.nashsquared.comFollow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nash-squared/About Harvey NashHarvey Nash are masters of technology recruitment. We help organisations find the very best specialist talent – from Cloud Services to Data and Analytics, DevOps to Cybersecurity, Engineering and App Development through to AI, Business Transformation and Technology Leadership. With over 35 years’ experience and global reach, we have an unparalleled knowledge and capability in all areas of technology.We are part of Nash Squared - the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions, equipped with a unique network that realises the potential of where technology and talent meet.www.harveynash.comFollow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvey-nash/Media Contacts:David PippettProServ PRdavid@proservpr.com+44 (0) 7899 798197Michelle ThomasHarvey Nashmichelle.thomas@harveynash.com+44 (20) 7333 2677