JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Employment Hero has published data showing that London workers use artificial intelligence more often and feel more confident using it than workers elsewhere in the UK. The figures also suggest hiring by small and medium-sized businesses in the capital has picked up.

Its UK research found that 54% of workers in London use AI every day, compared with 36% nationally. In the capital, 61% said they considered themselves competent in using AI, against a UK average of 41%.

The regional gap extends beyond headline usage. Daily AI use falls to 34% in the North West and 31% in Yorkshire and the Humber, pointing to a clear divide between London and other parts of the country.

The findings also suggest London workers rely more heavily on the tools. Some 83% said AI had affected the quality of their work, compared with 73% nationally, while 42% said they would struggle to do their job without it.

Jobs rebound

Separate platform data based on payroll activity among SMEs showed employment in London grew 3.3% month on month in June, ahead of the 2.5% national average. Wages in the capital rose 1.9% over the month, taking the median full-time wage to £55,872.

Employment Hero said the capital’s jobs market had weakened sharply in April 2025 and remained subdued until the end of last year. Since the start of 2026, the data shows employment growth has picked up, with June running 4.0% higher than March.

The latest figures add to a wider debate over whether the benefits of AI investment are becoming concentrated in London. The capital has attracted policy attention and funding around AI, but the data suggests workforce familiarity with the technology is not evenly spread across the country.

Skills divide

Workers in London also appear more likely to seek AI training through informal channels. The research found that 78% were learning AI skills on social media, compared with 56% nationally.

Businesses in the capital were slightly more likely to place importance on AI skills. Some 41% of London-based firms said those skills matter, against a national average of 36%.

The survey also linked AI adoption with entry-level hiring. In London, 57% of firms said they had increased entry-level roles over the past two years, the highest share of any region covered by the research, compared with a national average of 50%.

Across the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, businesses with AI at the centre of their operations were more likely to report growth in junior hiring. Among those companies, 62% said they had increased entry-level headcount in the past two years, compared with 30% of businesses that were not AI adopters.

UK business leaders were more likely than those in the other three countries to say AI would increase the need for entry-level roles. Nearly a quarter, or 24%, of UK respondents held that view, compared with 13% in Australia, 15% in Canada and 12% in New Zealand.

The figures come from a survey conducted by Focaldata for Employment Hero covering more than 3,500 UK employers and employees, alongside a wider international study. The jobs data is drawn from 4,599 businesses and 140,829 employees on the company’s platform, reflecting activity in the SME labour market.

Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director at Employment Hero, said: “London’s jobs market moves fast. A few months ago employment growth in the capital was stalling and today our data shows that SMEs are hiring again.”

He said the research suggested both opportunity and risk in the way AI is spreading through the labour market. “It’s clear that AI is going to play a central role in the future of employment, whether that’s large AI companies choosing to call London home or small businesses leveraging the technology for growth. Our new research shows that Londoners have embraced AI in numbers. That’s great for the capital, but there’s a real risk the rest of the UK gets left behind if that momentum isn’t matched.

“AI isn’t just changing how work gets done, it’s starting to shape where opportunities are too. While London’s role as global AI hub is key, we must also make sure that businesses across the nation have the investment and training needed to build AI-confident workforces.”

NCC Group and Siemens have agreed to collaborate on cyber security for UK critical infrastructure, with a focus on operational technology used across industry, energy and defence.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cyber resilience for critical national infrastructure, particularly where information technology systems intersect with operational technology that manages physical processes and assets.

The collaboration combines Siemens’ expertise in industrial automation, control systems and operational technology with NCC Group’s cyber security and resilience services. Support will be aimed at asset owners, operators and supply chains.

Operational technology has become a growing concern for operators of essential services as industrial systems become more connected to corporate networks and external data environments. That convergence has widened the potential attack surface for organisations running energy networks, manufacturing sites, transport systems and defence-related infrastructure.

In the UK, the issue carries broader economic and security implications because disruption to operational technology can affect physical operations, not just data or office systems. Critical infrastructure operators have faced increasing pressure to strengthen defences as cyber threats become more frequent and more sophisticated.

OT focus

The agreement is framed around that shift, with both companies arguing that industrial cyber security now requires a joined-up approach across digital and physical environments. Their plan centres on an end-to-end resilience model that combines industrial systems expertise with cyber security oversight.

Siemens has a long-standing presence in industrial software, automation and control environments used in factories, utilities and infrastructure. NCC Group, which operates internationally in cyber security, has presented the tie-up as a way to address risks earlier in modernisation and connectivity projects.

Paul Hingley, Cyber Security Expert, Siemens UK & Ireland, said: “Organisations responsible for keeping the country powered, connected and secure are under growing pressure to protect not just their IT systems, but the operational technology that controls physical assets on the ground. This collaboration brings together complementary strengths to help customers protect the physical systems that keep the country running.”

The agreement reflects a broader trend across industrial sectors, where cyber security spending is increasingly linked to operational continuity, safety and regulatory expectations. In these environments, the consequences of a cyber incident can extend beyond data loss to outages, equipment disruption and interruptions to essential services.

Shared ambition

The arrangement also points to a closer working relationship between the two businesses on industrial cyber security. They described the threat landscape as large in scale and urgent in nature.

Peter Vorley, Chief Commercial Officer, NCC Group, said: “Cyber resilience is now a fundamental enabler of industrial performance. Our collaboration with Siemens reflects a shared ambition to support organizations as they connect, automate and modernize their operational environments. By combining our strengths, we can help customers move forward faster and more safely, while shaping a more secure digital future for the sector.”

The UK market for industrial cyber security has drawn increasing attention from technology suppliers, consultants and specialist security firms as operators update legacy systems and connect more equipment to digital platforms. That shift has created demand for services that cover both conventional IT security and the specialist requirements of industrial control systems.

Unlike office-based IT environments, operational technology often includes equipment with long life cycles, strict uptime requirements and safety-critical functions. Those characteristics can make patching, monitoring and system changes more complex, especially in sectors where downtime is expensive or unacceptable.

Supply chain exposure is also a factor in industrial security planning, as operators rely on equipment vendors, maintenance providers and software partners that may connect to production or infrastructure environments. The collaboration will also cover support for supply chains alongside asset owners and operators.

Siemens is one of the largest industrial technology groups active in infrastructure and automation markets, while NCC Group has built its business around cyber resilience and software escrow services. NCC Group says it has more than 2,000 employees across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

The partnership places operational technology security at the centre of efforts to defend critical infrastructure, as cyber threats increasingly affect the systems that run essential services and industrial operations.

KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

PayPal has launched Pay in 30 Days for eligible UK customers, adding a new buy now, pay later option to its British checkout offering.

The service lets shoppers make an online purchase with PayPal and pay the full amount up to 30 days later. It is available on eligible transactions worth between £1 and £900, with no interest, sign-up fees or additional charges.

The launch expands PayPal’s existing buy now, pay later range in the UK, which already includes Pay in 3. That product lets customers split a purchase into three payments, with one taken at checkout and two more over the following two months.

Pay in 30 Days is available to eligible users across PayPal’s nearly 30 million-strong UK customer base. Customers can access the option through the existing PayPal checkout flow without opening a separate account or downloading another app.

Purchases and repayments are handled through PayPal’s own system. The 30-day window is intended to give customers more flexibility to pay at a point that better aligns with payday or other household bills.

Consumer demand

The launch comes as deferred payment products continue to gain ground with British shoppers. PayPal cited market data showing that 25% of UK adults used a buy now, pay later service at least once in the previous year.

It also linked the launch to changing expectations around how these products are offered, saying consumers want more flexible and transparent payment choices as regulatory scrutiny of the sector increases.

“British customers are smart. They want the flexibility to pay on their terms – but they’re also more discerning than ever about who they trust with their money. We’ve seen that in how our customers use PayPal, and our BNPL product offering, including both Pay in 3 and now Pay in 30 Days, is our response: genuine flexibility, zero fees, and the reassurance of a brand that’s been part of UK shopping for over two decades,” said Tamer El-Emary, General Manager UK at PayPal.

“As BNPL becomes regulated by the FCA, and continues to grow in the UK, the bar for trust and transparency will only rise – and we think that’s a good thing. For businesses, it means customers will increasingly gravitate toward payment options from names they recognise. PayPal’s Pay in 30 Days gives merchants a way to meet that demand, backed by a checkout experience their customers already know and trust.”

Merchant angle

For retailers, PayPal is positioning the new option as an addition to its current checkout rather than a separate technical project. Merchants that already use PayPal checkout do not need a new integration to offer Pay in 30 Days.

The company also cited research among 1,000 UK business owners and senior representatives who offer buy now, pay later services. In that survey, 64% said customer trust in their provider mattered most, while 50% said offering a broad range of payment options at checkout directly supported conversion.

This forms part of a wider battle among payments groups to retain a visible place at online checkout, where instalment products and short-term deferred payment options have become more common. Providers are trying to appeal to both consumers seeking flexibility and merchants seeking to reduce friction before a sale is completed.

PayPal’s approach in the UK centres on expanding the range of choices available under one brand. Alongside Pay in 3 and the new 30-day deferred payment option, customers enrolled in PayPal+ can earn PayPal+ Points on eligible Pay in 30 Days purchases.

The UK is an important market for the group, and buy now, pay later remains a closely watched area across consumer finance and digital commerce. Businesses in the segment are under pressure to demonstrate that their products are clear to use and easy for customers to manage as official oversight intensifies.

Pay in 30 Days is designed to sit within the same account and payment environment customers already use for online shopping. Eligible shoppers can select the option at checkout, complete the purchase and then settle the full amount within 30 days.

The product arrives as payment groups compete over trust, ease of use and checkout placement in a market where short-term credit has become a routine part of online spending. Pay in 30 Days is being made available to eligible customers across PayPal’s nearly 30 million-strong UK user base.