Belfast tech job opportunities rise by 11% against national decline

The increase came as Belfast’s overall number of job adverts fell by 1.4%. Technology roles consequently accounted for a larger share of the city’s vacancies

Technology vacancies are falling across the UK, leaving jobseekers with fewer new opportunities as employers scale back recruitment.

placeholder image — A close-up photograph of a laptop displaying colorful programming code in a dark-themed code editor, with a softly illuminated keyboard in the foreground. | Luca Bravo

However, new analysis by Wolfstone Digital found that Belfast moved against the national trend. Advertised technology roles in the city increased from 1,786 in early 2025 to 1,985 during the same period in 2026, a rise of 11.1% and 199 additional opportunities.

The increase came as Belfast’s overall number of job adverts fell by 1.4%. Technology roles consequently accounted for a larger share of the city’s vacancies.

The areas recording the largest tech declines were: Nottingham: 50.3%; Liverpool: 39.6%; Trafford: 38.1%; West Berkshire: 34.1%; Newcastle upon Tyne: 34.0%; Sheffield: 30.1%; Dudley: 25.1%; Birmingham: 23.5%; Reigate and Banstead: 22.1%; Westmorland and Furness: 21.2%.

Adam Woodhead, tech expert at Wolfstone Digital, said: “The national decline shows that employers are becoming more cautious about technology recruitment, making areas where opportunities are still growing particularly notable.

“Jobseekers should still demonstrate how their skills can deliver practical business results, while employers must ensure short-term caution does not create longer-term skills shortages.”

The analysis compared ONS online job-advert data for January, February, April and May 2025 with the same months in 2026. March was excluded because some figures were suppressed.