I think the problem with the UK is on the whole we never really got past seeing software as an administrative / back-office concern, which leads to naturally wanting to place developers etc into "low-paid, low-leverage" positions (think mindlessly running a few SQL queries or adding a few fields to an internal tool) vs having them radically improve the business proposition.

This really presages trouble with industries being upended on the basis of technological innovations. The light at the end of the tunnel is that long-term, companies that value and can utilise technical talent to innovate rather than sustain will win out and heat up the talent market.