London and the South East creates almost two thirds (64%) of all new IT jobs in the UK, despite making up just 27% of the overall population, according to research by business and technology staffing specialist ReThink Recruitment.

Prior to the recession the region accounted for 58% of all IT jobs created in the UK.

Michael Bennett, director, ReThink Recruitment, says: “London has a high concentration of financial services firms, and they are heavy users of IT skills. Many of them responded to the downturn by cutting their IT departments to the bone. As businesses levels have picked up, many have found themselves understaffed and have had to replace a lot of the skills that were shed during the recession.

“The financial crisis has also prompted significant investment in compliance and risk management systems in the banking sector. We have seen a substantial increase in demand for candidates skilled in these areas.

“The wave of mergers between financial institutions brought about by the credit crunch has fuelled demand for IT candidates in London and the South East to handle post M&A integration of banking IT systems.”