UK Tech Sector Monthly Monitor – November 2026 update

In this Growth Commission paper in May 2026, Growth Commissioner Douglas McWilliams set out the critical contribution to the economy of the UK’s tech sector. Following the publication today of the UK GDP figures for the three months to September 2026, he observes:

“Latest GDP data shows that the growth from the tech sector continues to accelerate on a three monthly basis, though GDP for the sector fell back slightly in September.

“Production data shows that growth in Section J (information and communications) over the previous twelve months has kept increasing from 4.4% in the year to the three months ending in May to 5.0% in the equivalent period to June; 5.5% in the period to July, 6.6% in the period to August 2026 and now 6.8% in the period to September 2026.

“Meanwhile turnover growth in the tech-enabled sector – a much wider part of the service sector – in nominal terms rose 8.9% in the year to the three months ending in September 2026, slightly down from the 9.7% estimated a month ago for the period to August 2026.

“The ONS attributes about a fifth of the 0.7% GDP growth in the three months to September to the tech sector and nearly a quarter of the GDP growth over the past year to the sector.

“This sector is at risk from the proposed EU Reset because of the negative impact of EU legislation implemented since the UK left the EU – in particular the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act and the AI Act to which the UK would potentially be subject as a result of the Reset.”