Businesses need to plan for significant changes in the
career development of IT staff as they outsource an increasing
proportion of their IT development and operations work, Forrester
Research said last week.
Demand for programmers and operating staff will fall over the
next few years, with many IT departments likely to reduce headcount
significantly, as more work is outsourced, the analyst group
said.
IT departments will focus their budgets away from ongoing
operations to new projects, creating a strong demand for "white
collar" IT staff - enterprise architects, project managers and
business analysts.
But Forrester warned that the transition could lead to skills
shortages within the next two years, with staff with specialist
business and technology skills likely to be in short supply.
Research among 48 leading IT employers found that 36% plan to
increase the percentage of IT work they outsource. Nearly half said
they planned to employ fewer programmers and 47% said they would
reduce the number of operational roles.
However, firms said they were increasing the number of staff
with the business and analytical skills needed for the future: 43%
said they were increasing the number of business analysts and 49%
were adding strategy jobs.