The UK is facing a growing digital skills crisis, with demand for AI roles way ahead of workforce readiness.
Business communications provider Esendex analyzed automation and AI job listings and training course availability across 17 key industries, using Reed data.
The company found there were around 11,365 active vacancies for automation and AI roles across a raft of UK sectors, with AI representing 69% and automation making up the remaining 31%.
Among the most in-demand roles were data engineer (30%) and python engineer (25%) in AI. This, the company noted, suggests a sharper hiring focus on infrastructure and the programming needs required to fuel AI development.
Other key vacancies included machine learning specialists, accounting for 10% of listings, and automation controls engineer, at 5.7%. Openings for algorithm specialists and robotic process automation (RPA) roles, however, accounted for just 0.4% and 1.6% of listings respectively.
Of the 17 industries analysed on the Automation & AI Readiness Index, 10 sectors scored below 50 out of a possible 1,600. In transport and logistics and health and medicine, job creation and upskilling efforts are failing to keep pace with the increasingly advanced technologies being deployed.
Meanwhile, construction and property - scoring just 6 - fell at the bottom end of the range, with retail scoring 10.4 and human resources 10.5. The company said this is largely due to minimal automation or AI hiring activity, along with limited training options.
"As sectors which employ large parts of the UK workforce, this could leave a huge portion of UK jobs not yet prepared or supported for automation and AI integration," said the team.
AI readiness is accelerating
As you might expect, the IT and telecoms sector achieved the highest readiness index score, at 777.9. It accounted for more than 63% of all automation and AI roles advertised, while also offering the widest training provision with over 2,000 AI-specific courses.
“The UK’s digital economy is rapidly accelerating and seemingly at a faster rate than the workforce can keep up with. As demand for automation and AI integration rises sharply, most industries simply aren’t moving quickly enough to futureproof their teams and implement the infrastructure necessary," said Richard Hanscott, CEO of Esendex.
“While a handful of sectors are making bold moves toward digital capability, the majority, particularly labor-intensive sectors, are at risk of being left behind. This isn’t down to a lack of ambition, but a severe lack of readiness, investment and skills planning."
Upskilling is needed to overcome growing skills gaps
Essendex recommends upskilling and reskilling the workforce, with targeted programs in automation engineering and tools, AI technologies, and digital communication platforms.
Organizations should use automation to enhance, not replace, human teams, automating repetitive tasks like FAQs, order updates, and appointment confirmations through methods such as SMS automation.
Additionally, the firm advised enterprises to invest in user-friendly tools like AI-powered chatbots and automated SMS software, which can help with the growing skills gap by providing an immediate, scalable solution.
“The real threat isn’t just lost productivity, but of being outpaced by competitors who are already automating smarter, communicating faster, and scaling more efficiently," said Hanscott.
"With solutions like automated SMS software helping to shape the way firms engage customers, the opportunity is clear. But if UK businesses don’t bridge the skills gap now, they may find themselves stuck on legacy systems while their competitors race ahead.”
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