Despite lingering concerns over AI’s impact on the labor market, new research from ServiceNow predicts the UK tech sector will undergo a jobs boom in the coming years.
The firm's 2026 Workforce Skills Forecast projects an increase of 432,000 additional jobs in the UK’s technology, media, and telecoms sector by 2031, marking a 28.2% increase on today's numbers.
According to the study, this job growth will be partly due to a “human renaissance” in hiring practices. The company describes this as a “new phase of work” in which technologies such as AI transform roles, but human capability “determines their value”.
Put simply, human workers will still be a critical component in the workforce moving forward, regardless of increased automation. Indeed, ServiceNow said that demand for talent is still growing rapidly worldwide, with human skills spanning leadership, problem solving, and collaboration in hot demand.
Findings from the report suggest that enterprises across the tech industry will require around 16,000 more workers with problem solving skills as a key trait by 2031, for example.
On the technical skills front, demand for Python-related capabilities is also expected to surge, with the sector requiring an additional 16,000 workers with these skills.
Elsewhere, demand for test management roles is expected to reach more than twice its current level by 2031, followed by test strategy, planning, and performance.
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Damian Stirrett, group VP and GM for ServiceNow UK & Ireland, said the study shows that while AI integration accelerates across the industry, top talent will still be a key focus for enterprises.
“The UK has built one of the world’s fastest-growing technology workforces, creating a significant opportunity as AI reshapes how work gets done. But organisations cannot treat their technology and people strategies as separate agendas,” he commented.
“The businesses that succeed will be those that redesign work around AI while investing in the technical and human capabilities their people need to use it effectively. Combining both will be critical to turning innovation into productivity and sustainable growth.”
Soft skills in the age of AI
The capabilities identified by ServiceNow appear to fall under the ‘soft skills’ bracket, which have become a key focus in the age of AI.
In a similar vein to ServiceNow, an August 2025 study from Multiverse highlighted the importance of a “combined approach” to AI adoption that incorporates technical capabilities alongside soft skills.
Indeed, the firm identified areas such as analytical reasoning, communication skills, problem solving, and ethical understanding as the top “human skillsets” required to support AI integration.
These ranked on-par with technical skills such as prompt engineering.
Upskilling the key to success
Crucially, UK firms have a wealth of untapped talent that could be unlocked through upskilling, according to Jayney Howson, chief learning officer at ServiceNow.
Workers in non-technical roles could play a key role in filling tech talent gaps moving forward.
“Learning must keep pace with work. Technology adoption is moving faster than skills development, and many of the fastest-growing roles sit at the intersection of technology and people. Employees will need technical fluency alongside judgment, collaboration, leadership and stakeholder engagement,” she said.
“People do not always need to start again. Many emerging roles build on capabilities they already have. Employers must help people use those skills as a springboard, while creating clear and practical development pathways that enable them to adapt and progress as work evolves.”
The findings from ServiceNow’s report follow similar research from Gartner in late 2025. While the analyst firm predicts that AI will have a marked impact on the global labor market, the technology will ultimately create more roles that it destroys.
That’s dependent on whether organizations have the capability to upskill in line with adoption rates, however. Gartner projects that around 32 million jobs will be “reconfigured, redesigned, or fused” each year from 2028 onwards.
Speaking to at the time, Helen Poitevin, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, said the organization expects around 150,000 people will need to be upskilled every day to counter job losses.
Similar research from Box in June this year found UK business leaders also predict AI to create more jobs in the long term.
In a poll conducted by the firm, nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they expect their organization’s overall headcount to increase over the next three years.
Notably, Box identified a range of dedicated, AI-focused positions to emerge as adoption rates accelerate. Nearly half (48%) of firms are actively recruiting for ‘AI agent operators’ within IT teams while 32% are hiring ‘workflow automation specialists’.