Yorkshire on track to create 42,000 digital tech jobs and grow by £1.6bn by 2025

Yorkshire is on track to create an extra 42,000 digital tech jobs and grow by at least £1.6 billion by 2025.

The region's digital industry is the fastest-growing in the UK according to new analysis released ahead of Leeds Digital Festival.

The thriving digital tech sector is likely to create thousands of new jobs by the end of 2025.

The data is from a new government report which looks at regional growth in the digital economy and will be used to support the government's work on levelling up so it can work with the sector to capitalise on untapped areas of potential and create more wealth and jobs.

It comes as figures show 60% of premises in West Yorkshire now have access to next-generation, gigabit-capable broadband - up from just 1.9 per cent in September 2018.

West Yorkshire was recently named as one of the areas set to benefit from the government's £5 billion Project Gigabit - the biggest broadband rollout in British history. 

Gigabit broadband, which provides download speeds of 1,000 megabits per second, will fuel Britain's tech innovators and wealth creators over the next forty years.

Chris Philip, Digital Minister, said the region's digital sector is entering a 'golden era.'

''The county is rapidly becoming a power

house of digital talent providing brilliant job opportunities for those who want to pursue a career in tech. The sector's growth across the region is important to our mission to level up, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the jobs and success the sector provides."