London has retained its place as the top technology talent market in EMEA and the world’s number two overall, according to the latest Global Tech Markets 2025 report from Colliers. The research, covering over 200 markets, highlights five transformative trends reshaping global tech talent distribution, underlining the competitive dynamics between established hubs and emerging players.
The San Francisco Bay Area remains the world’s leading tech centre, achieving the highest composite score across all categories. London follows closely, earning the region’s only score above 4.0, and significantly outpacing other European markets such as Paris and Dublin. “With shifts in talent distribution, investment flows and labour availability, the insights from this analysis provide a clear roadmap for companies seeking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving technology landscape,” said Bret Swango, Senior Vice President, Workforce Analytics & Location Strategy at Colliers.
Key factors behind London’s continued strength include the city’s deep academic talent pipeline, its position as EMEA’s top market for venture capital funding, and its ability to attract both established technology companies and startups. Notably, London saw the highest volume of hiring from major tech firms in the region, more than doubling the next market, Istanbul. Paris and Berlin also feature among the top EMEA markets but lag in both talent pool size and VC flows compared to the UK capital.
Colliers’ analysis identifies several forces reshaping the sector. Chief among these is the surge in demand for AI and cybersecurity talent — a trend reflected in the 68% rise in AI job listings since late 2022, as traditional IT hiring contracts. Younger workers now comprise a growing share of the tech workforce, particularly in fast-growing cities such as Bengaluru and Mexico City, while the global market is becoming increasingly concentrated. According to the report, 36% of the world’s tech talent is now based in just 10 global locations, with London the only non-US or Indian city in the top five.
London’s dominance is further underpinned by the quality of its higher education institutions and its strong industry-academic partnerships. The report notes that London, Madrid, and Brussels together account for nearly a third of all tech students across leading EMEA markets. In terms of productivity and sector value, London ranks first in the region for sector composition and maintains one of the largest and most specialised tech labour pools.
While hybrid and in-office work models are reasserting themselves, the flexibility and breadth of the city’s ecosystem continue to attract both talent and investment. As Graham Crosby, Head of Transaction Management for Colliers EMEA, notes, “In today’s dynamic business landscape, workforce analytics is more important than ever. By leveraging agile technology and advanced analytics to uncover workforce-related insights, we are helping leaders to make fact-based, quantitatively-justified location-related decisions in labour markets around the world.”
With established tech clusters and a world-leading university pipeline, London looks set to remain at the forefront of global technology talent competition, even as companies and investors increasingly adopt an evidence-based approach to workforce and real estate decisions.
