New digital community launched to attract tech talent across the Civil Service

A new digital brand has been launched to attract tech talent into the Civil Service, the Cabinet Office has announced. 

The new Government Digital and Data brand, as it will be known, brings together experts who are leading digital transformation in government. It represents the first-ever community of tech talent working in specialist roles, such as data analysts, software developers and infrastructure engineers, and provides a clearer career path for talent looking to come into the Civil Service.  

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said the creation of the new Government Digital and Data brand is part of a "long-term decision to attract top talent into government," and "to provide a more coherent network of specialists helping to tackle the biggest challenges government faces.”

Tech talent will now be recruited into key public sector roles through this community. 

New figures from the latest cross-government workforce insights show that the digital and data workforce grew by 9% between October 2022 and April 2023, to more than 28,000 professionals. Notably, software developers are the most in-demand specialists in the profession, accounting for 13% of all filled roles in the Government Digital and Data profession.

Chief Digital Officer for Government, Mike Potter, said: "These figures show that Government Digital and Data should be viewed alongside tech giants as one of the largest and most exciting employers in the UK. And we have a unique selling point for prospective talent: our work is fundamentally about transforming lives for the better. 

“At the forefront of digital innovation, we’re shaping the future workforce with a strong focus on AI roles. Our commitment to cutting-edge technology and data is revolutionising government for greater efficiency and effectiveness.”

This announcement comes as the government opened its Digital Secondments Programme for applications in September, which calls on the UK’s best technical minds from industry to work on the country’s biggest challenges, such as cyber security and new emerging technology.