EMPLOYMENT in digital-related jobs across Yorkshire is set to grow ahead of the national average at around 7.6 per cent over the next decade, new findings show.

The latest UK Economic Outlook from accountants and business advisors PwC says the national average digital jobs growth will be 7.2 per cent and 'skilled cities' will be key motors of employment growth, both in digital sectors and more generally across the economy.

It shows that more than five per cent of workers across Yorkshire have job titles that did not exist in 1990, with most of these created by the digital revolution.

In West Yorkshire alone nearly six per cent of workers are employed in these new ‘digital’ jobs, ahead of other regions like the East Midlands and Northern Ireland.

New types of jobs range from software engineers and database administrators to computer programmers and IT support workers.

The research was prepared by PwC in association with Oxford University's Dr Carl. It highlights a shift in the UK workforce towards highly skilled professional and technical roles, which the research shows are closely linked to overall economic performance in major UK regions and cities.

It also shows that the Yorkshire regional economy has been recovering at a relatively strong rate since early 2013, with predicted GDP growth in Yorkshire to average around 2.4 per cent in 2015, in line with he UK figure. .

Ian Morrison, PwC’s Yorkshire and North East regional leader, said: “Yorkshire has undoubtedly benefitted from the digital revolution in terms of both employment and skills over the last few years, with this expected to accelerate over the next decade.

“The projected employment growth across the region is encouraging and reflects the report’s expectation that there will be continued diffusion of the digital revolution across the UK over the next ten years. But there needs to be significant investment in infrastructure to continue to facilitate the diffusion of new jobs across the region. Investment in improving the connectivity between places will be essential to make sure that new job creation continues to thrive across the North.”

Meanwhile, a Bradford-based insurance broker is among those urging local small and medium firms to ensure they can defend themselves against cyber attacks which can be costly and damage their reputation.

Low Moor-based TL Dallas is among 12 owners of UNA which has issued the call after new research showed that 40 per cent of major US business have cyber insurance cover against only 13 per cent of UK firms.

PwC has also revealed that 60 per cent of UK businesses had a cyber-security breach and 45 per cent suffered infection from viruses or malicious software last year.