Lincolnshire digital sector worth almost £1bn

Lincolnshire is growing an emerging industry, as the digital sector in the county is currently worth £992 million, according to a new report.

The second Digital Landscape Report [PDF], was commissioned by the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub with Digital Lincoln and the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership. This comes after the first report, which was produced in 2016.

The report highlights the growth and future potential of the digital sector in Greater Lincolnshire.

In the latest year for which accounts are available, the total value of turnover for businesses in the digital sector was £992 million, which represents an increase from £779 million in 2014.

In the first report in 2016 the Digital Landscape Survey found that nearly 2,000 ‘digital’ businesses were based in the county. In 2019, this figure has increased to 2,394, which is said to be more than the number of digital businesses in the whole of Northern Ireland.

There has also been an increase in local residents employed in a digital role. In the 2016 survey, it was found that 16,000 Lincolnshire residents were employed in a digital role, of which 7,045 were within the digital sector.

In 2019, there are now 8,250 roles in the Lincolnshire digital sector, which represents a 17% increase in just three years.

In the first report, employment in the digital tech sector was most highly concentrated in the Greater Lincoln area and along the A1 corridor to the south-west of Lincolnshire. The area around Doddington Road and Skellingthorpe Road in Lincoln had the highest concentration of digital tech sector employment in the county.

The Eventus business centre in Market Deeping. Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

Since the last report was published, Market Deeeping has taken over as the area with the highest concentration of digital employment in Lincolnshire, with 16% of all tech sector roles based here. This is an increase from 12% in 2016 and is down to the development of the Eventus business centre, which is now home to several digital businesses.

Lincoln and North Hykeham are not far behind at 13.6% and 13.1% respectively.

The latest report’s results suggest a growing focus on filling the recruitment gap in the digital sector.

Daniel Westlake, Managing Director of Cursor and founder of Digital Lincoln, said: “The digital sector here in Lincolnshire is growing both in value and the numbers of jobs.

“Although it’s clearly early days, the growth of digital businesses here is outstripping many other regions – a fact made more remarkable considering Lincolnshire’s large area and low population density.

“There is wide-scale support to develop the digital sector, as improvements in technology and digital skills will open up opportunities not only for high tech jobs but also for all businesses in Lincolnshire.”

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