Wayve becomes Britain’s fastest-hiring tech firm as AI recruitment ramps up – UKTN

Wayve has become Britain’s fastest-hiring tech firm amid a surge in recruitment for roles in AI.

The autonomous vehicle startup, which raised $1bn in a funding round in May last year, has added around 200 new roles to its headcount over the past twelve months, according to figures from cord.

Wayve has been closely followed by healthtech firm Manual, cord data shows, with 188 hires in the past year, and generative AI firm Synthesia, which has added 155 people to its headcount.

Overall, the top 20 scaleups by headcount growth added more than 2,500 staff to their combined headcount.

“Scale-ups lead considerably for absolute job creation. 19 companies each hired over 100 new employees,” cord said.

“This distribution highlights an evolving UK tech ecosystem increasingly propelled by scaleup ventures that have moved beyond early startup stages.

“AI shines in growth velocity and hiring volume: 12.5% of all tech companies hiring are AI-focused and they grew an average 35% in the past twelve months.”

Among startups, legal tech firm Lawhive saw the fastest rate of hiring, with headcount growth up by more than 300% over the past year, followed by engineering deeptech business PhysicsX, which grew headcount 221%, and AI-powered process intelligence business Mimica Automation, which grew 166%.

Over the past 12 months, the FinTech sector led the way in tech hiring, cord data showed, adding 2,127 new headcount, reflecting the industry’s rapid expansion and sustained investor interest,

AI was not far behind with 1,630 new hires, highlighting the sector’s continued surge as companies integrate machine learning and automation at scale.

“Overall, the data reveals a bright a picture of a growing and diversified tech ecosystem in the UK,” cord said.

“London stands out for its concentration of companies and higher growth percentages, but regional cities like Bristol, Cambridge, and Manchester show they can also compete.”

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