The roll-out of chip and Pin technology, radio frequency
identification tags and the rise of wireless networks have fuelled
demand for IT professionals in the retail sector.
Aidan Anglin, head of sales in recruitment consultant MSB's
technology business, said he has seen demand in IT recruitment
increase by about 25% since the end of last year.
Jon Butterfield, managing director of the IT business at
recruitment consultancy Spring, said IT recruitment has been rising
in the retail industry for the past 12 months.
"There is good job security in the retail sector, with an exciting
range of technologies to manage.
"The only threat to it seems to be higher wages in the financial
sector, which is also doing well, so retail IT directors may see
staff tempted by that sector," said Butterfield.
The switch to chip and Pin card authentication at the point of sale
is helping to drive jobs growth.
Anglin said, "The roll-out of chip and Pin has stimulated demand
for system design, and banks and retailers need to ramp up for
this."
Retailers are also starting to use RFID tags - which some believe
could eventually replace barcodes - and they will need IT staff to
make this fledgling technology work.
But what skills are retailers looking for from IT
professionals?
David Weatherby, RFID programme manager at supply chain standards
organisation e.centre, said the spread of RFID technology has
created a demand for staff with experience of integrating IT
systems.
Experience of some of the newer network and security technologies
is also needed.
Carphone Warehouse, for instance, has installed security systems
built around tokens.
It allows staff to access the corporate wireless network from
any location using passwords randomly created by the key-fob style
security tokens carried by employees.
Elsewhere, biometric technology has also started to make it onto
the shop floor.
The Co-op has begun trials of a payment system that scans a
customer's finger at the point of sale.
Providing the scan matches the biometric record stored on the
Co-op's system, payment is automatically debited from the
customer's bank account.
Retailers may be testing the water with new technology, but there
will continue to be steady demand for IT staff with more
traditional skills.
Morrisons for instance, fresh from its acquisition of Safeways, is
looking to hire distributed systems engineers, systems programmers,
mainframe developers, operations support analysts, and helpdesk
operators.
Morrisons may not be at the forefront of retail technology, but
it is expanding its IT department.
Not every retailer is planning increased headcounts though. "
Our focus is to ensure all systems are delivering a solid,
reliable service - maybe not the best functionality, but
consistent," said Andy Billington, IT director at clothing retailer
Burberry.
"To this end, we are not starting new developments and will be
scaling back staff."
The supply chain will also remain a key area for IT
investment.
"Shaving costs in the supply chain is key to most retailers,
including the likes of Marks & Spencer, which are now making a
big thing about it," said Sean Quinn, associate director at
recruitment consultancy Hudson.
Hudson is currently recruiting SAP enterprise resource planning
specialists and Microsoft .net developers to enable Black &
Decker to improve its supply chain.
"Shaving just 1% off supply chain costs can mean massive savings
for large companies, and this type of aim fits in with the current
IT investment prerequisite - all IT investment must have a proven
payback period," he said.
The retail industry is investing heavily in complex new technology
to complement tried and tested systems.
IT professionals keen to transfer to the sector will need a
broad base of experience and a healthy scepticism about the
promises made for new technology.
"It takes a brave IT director to go for bleeding-edge technology -
pioneers tend to get arrows in their backs," said Quinn.
"A key attribute for anyone wanting to go into this sector is to
have the right timing, to know when to invest in specific solutions
after first finding out if they are proven."
Key retail IT skills
Enterprise resource planning
Customer relationship management
Supply chain management
Database management
Chip and Pin
RFID
Security/biometrics