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The revolution in mobile phone health apps has brought about a tenfold increase in the number of people employed to work on the technology, according to analysis of new government statistics by Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider.
Analysis of bioscience and health technology sector statistics released by three government departments shows the number of people employed to work on healthtech at life sciences companies rose by 159% in the five years leading to 2021/22.
Nearly 19,000 people in the UK are working on digital healthcare technologies, including health tracker apps, medical monitoring devices, and digitised medical records. The number of digital health workers has risen by 50% in five years to 18,907 employees.
Employment in mobile health apps has seen the biggest growth, skyrocketing by 965% between 2016/17 and 2021/22 – from 124 employees to 1,196.
Training simulators and robotics saw the second biggest rise at 295%, although this increase is over a four-year period.
Table: Employment growth at UK life sciences businesses over five years
|
Subsegment |
2016/17 |
2021/22 |
Change |
|
Consumer mobile health services/apps |
124 |
1,196 |
965% |
|
Training simulators and robotics |
57 |
168 |
295%* |
|
Consumer mobile health devices |
73 |
209 |
286% |
|
Professional mobile health devices |
54 |
143 |
265% |
|
Telemed (medical monitoring) and telediag |
1,159 |
2,694 |
232% |
|
Professional mobile health services/apps |
1,147 |
2,361 |
206% |
|
Personal medical records |
291 |
497 |
171% |
|
Digital medical electronics |
365 |
550 |
151% |
|
Hospital information systems |
4,009 |
5,565 |
139% |
|
Social alarms/communications devices//bed-nurse call |
982 |
1,351 |
138% |
|
E-health – data analytics |
1,978 |
2,423 |
122% |
|
General practice information systems |
1,703 |
1,750 |
103% |
|
Total |
11,900 |
18,907 |
159% |
*Data for training simulators and robotics is not available for 2016/17. Numbers and percentage change are for 2017/18.
The number of people employed by life sciences businesses in the UK increased by 117% in the five years to 2021/22, with 304,190 employees in the latest data.
The biopharmaceuticals service and supply sector saw the biggest growth, with staffing numbers up 141% to hit nearly 80,000. The sector also saw the largest increase in turnover, reaching £27.2 billion.
Number of UK life sciences businesses by turnover and employment
|
|
Turnover (billions) |
Employment |
||||
|
Sector |
2016/17 |
2021/22 |
Increase |
2016/17 |
2021/22 |
Increase |
|
Biopharmaceuticals core |
£35.1 |
£46.7 |
133% |
63,190 |
70,032 |
111% |
|
Biopharmaceuticals service and supply |
£17.4 |
£27.2 |
156% |
56,917 |
79,991 |
141% |
|
Medical technology core |
£21.5 |
£26.6 |
124% |
105,493 |
117,212 |
111% |
|
Medical technology service and supply |
£7.4 |
£7.7 |
103% |
34,301 |
36,955 |
108% |
|
Total |
£81.4 |
£108.1 |
133% |
259,901 |
304,190 |
117% |
Nigel Holmes, Director, Research and Development at Ryan, said:
“Harnessing the power of health technology will make a substantial difference to people’s lives, and it’s great to see that the UK is going full steam ahead to increase employment in this area.
“If Britain really is going to become a science superpower, life sciences companies will be critical in turning that aspiration into a reality.
“The pandemic highlighted just how important it is that the UK has a strong core of bioscience companies on its doorstep — and it is imperative that those companies continue innovating to help keep us healthier for longer.”
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