Belfast's digital economy is becoming the city's strength

Belfast has one of the highest 'Digital Densities' of any city in the UK, as demonstrated by this week's Tech Nation report. In all, 19 per cent of firms in Belfast are defined as digital technology companies, which gives it a higher proportion than Liverpool, Birmingham or Edinburgh. Belfast also showed a 14.8% growth in the salaries of digital technology employees when compared to those of other jobs. All of this shows the importance of Belfast as a technology cluster for the UK and a beacon for the top talent. The report specifically references the skills development success of Queen's University and the University of Ulster, both of which provide highly talented recruits and placements students to local businesses like Kainos. Kainos is also profiled in the Tech Nation report as a leading example for the recruitment and development of talent. Brendan Mooney, CEO at Kainos, commented: 'Kainos is a great place to work and we put a lot of focus on developing our employees' skills and talents. The fact that Belfast is growing as a hub for these digital experts is a strong factor in supporting future growth. The strength and stability of our digital technology economy is the future of the UK economy as a whole, so our investment in it will continue.' Unsurprisingly, London appeared at or near the top of most categories. Brighton and Cambridge appeared as two of the most dense digital clusters; while London has more than six times the jobs of Manchester, its closest competitor as the largest home of digital technology employees. The full report can be accessed here.