A survey of 6,000 adults across the UK, carried out by the Barclays Digital Development Index 2017 assessed respondents on 18 different digital skills grouped in six categories. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool is the UK’s number one city for digital skills, a new report claims.

A survey of 6,000 adults across the UK, carried out by the Barclays Digital Development Index 2017 assessed respondents on 18 different digital skills grouped in six categories.

People in Liverpool scored an average of 5.91 out of 10 – the best of any major city in the UK and above the national average of 5.44.

Second was Edinburgh with a score of 5.9 with London on 5.78 and Manchester on 5.74.

Barclays also analysed data from 8,300 job advertisements posted online to determine the types of digital skills most in demand across the UK today.

The availability of home-grown skills is allowing companies in the Liverpool city region to become more digitally advanced, in turn driving demand for digital skills even further. The city region’s digital and creative sectors is worth £1bn a year.

The study also found 22% of jobs advertised in the North West required advanced digital skills such as graphic design, data analysis and 3D modelling.

And it reveals that employers across the country are willing to pay a premium of up to £10,000 a year for digital skills such as programming and software design.

Earnings boosts of £3,000 a year are also up for grabs for those with graphic design, data and 3D modelling skills.

Lisa McCormick, Barclays community banking director for Merseyside, said: “People’s level of digital prowess is fast becoming a key determinant of their earning power, and it’s very encouraging to see Liverpool leading the way as the UK’s most digitally skilled city.

“Digital skills can provide a vital boost to household finances and everyone deserves the opportunity to benefit from this.

“At a time when wage growth is so important to families in the North West, we must act fast to improve our home-grown digital skills if the region is to stay at the forefront of the global digital economy post-Brexit.”

The six digital skills categories were  researching and evaluating; communicating and collaborating; protecting data and devices; content creation and coding; solving problems; and knowledge and attitude.