Reading takes top three spots in IT league tables

Reading has scooped a first, second and third place on three league tables each compiled to show the UK's business hotspots for IT, software and computer services.

Berkshire's county town comes top for highest Gross Valued Added (GVA), in reference to the number of workers employed in the area with a speciality in technology.

That indicates that the value of IT in Reading has increased by 5.69%, said e-marketplace OnBuy.com, which compiled the three league tables using data from Nesta and .Gov.

By assessing the areas with the highest employment rate, and its overall added value to the local specialism, it found Guildford & Aldershot to be second, with a GVA of 3.57%.

That ranks Slough & Heathrow in third place (2.25%), ahead of Cambridge (1.65%) in fourth, Luton in fifth (1.49%) and finally, London, ranked fifth with a GVA of 1.37%.

But the capital has the most workers overall in IT, software and computer services -- 147,055, compared to Reading -- a distant second, which has just over 37,000 of them.

Slough & Heathrow is snapping at Reading's heels however, with 35,615 techies, ahead of Guildford & Aldershot (25,705), Luton (14,475) and sixth place Cambridge (9,265).

But the UK town head-quartering both Microsoft and Oracle also takes a bronze medal in the third league table showing areas with the highest opportunities in IT with the most businesses with an above average specialisation.

In order, they are London (37, 960); Slough & Heathrow (9,358), Reading (3,805), Guildford & Aldershot (3,180), Luton (3,020) and Crawley (2,320).

OnBuy is 'unsurprised' that London tops the above-average-IT-specialisation by firms, but says the technology and other creative sectors have a part to play in closing productivity gaps.