ScotlandIS, the membership and cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technologies industry, today launched its 17th annual industry survey.
The survey, which is open to both ScotlandIS members and non-members, will contribute to the organisation’s 2025 survey report which acts as a temperature check for Scotland’s technology industry. It provides an effective comparison point for previous years and highlights the potential opportunities and challenges which may lie ahead.
The 2024 survey showed an encouraging level of positivity, with almost 80% of respondents saying they were optimistic for the year ahead. Other key findings from the last report included:
- 90% of respondents expected sales to grow
- 98% planned to maintain or increase headcount with 62% planning to hire recent graduates
- Only 2% had plans to cut jobs
The survey has been an annual fixture in the industry calendar since it was first launched in 2008. Its original purpose was to fill a data gap that existed around the impact Scottish technology businesses had on the wider economy. Since then, it has gone on to provide a valuable barometer for the overall health of the industry. In subsequent years, both the report and the sector have grown significantly, with the 2023 version estimating the value of Scottish technology’s economic contribution at £6 billion.
ScotlandIS CEO, Karen Meechan, said: “It was incredibly encouraging to see so much optimism last year and all eyes will be on the 2025 report to see whether that sense of positivity has continued. However, with a series of challenges along the way, including increased costs, skills shortages and changes to the tax regime, it would be disingenuous to say the last 12 months have been clear sailing. Despite this, the resilience and innovation present in our sector has, as ever, been inspiring, and we’ve seen some incredible success stories both emerge and grow.
“Our annual survey, and subsequent report, not only gives us a better understanding of what challenges and opportunities the next year could bring, but it also highlights where our members might need our support most. For example, since the last survey we hosted a series of dinners with Anas Sarwar, Douglas Ross and Kate Forbes as well as roundtable discussions to help provide feedback from the sector directly to Scottish Government. As the membership organisation for the sector, it’s a vital part of our role to ensure all sections of the industry are getting the right support at the right time. The information we receive from the survey each year is key to helping us achieve this.
“We want as wide a spread of viewpoints as possible, so I’d encourage anybody working in the technology space to take a few minutes to give us their feedback. We hope that, by working closely with Techscaler, we will also be able to reach an audience that may not previously have engaged with the survey.”
Yasmin Sulaiman, SVP Ecosystems at CodeBase said: “We’re pleased to be supporting ScotlandIS’s annual tech industry survey for 2025. 2024 has been a pivotal year in tech, with advances in AI, challenges in the investment landscape and major geopolitical changes all having a meaningful impact on the industry.
“ScotlandIS’s survey has been a consistently strong barometer of the state of the sector, and we’re excited to work with the team to uncover trends and identify barriers to growth so we can target support where it’s needed most.”
