Companies will find it harder to recruit IT people with
business skills as they compete with specialist outsourcing
advisers in a shrinking labour market, Forrester Research has
warned.
Large firms and outsourcing advisers will fight over people with
business IT skills because Europe's universities are failing to
educate enough people with core skills, the analyst firm
said.
Corporate IT users are faced with difficulties recruiting the
specialists they need and are increasingly turning to outsourcing
consultancies to manage their relationships with suppliers.
But as both users and specialists try to recruit business IT staff,
recruitment problems will get worse, with both types of employer
recruiting from a declining pool of talent, said Forrester director
Andrew Parker.
"Outsourcing consultancies have a finite supply of new recruits and
they compete for the same skills. It is ultimately going to lead to
a vicious circle," he said.
Parker identified the skills that are in most demand as IT
strategy, supplier management and contract negotiation. He said
that candidates need at least six to 12 months to train in these
skills.
The universities have failed to provide business IT people because
they have been geared towards educating people with general IT
skills, such as networking, he added.
IT users and outsourcing suppliers have little trouble finding
people with generic IT skills because the universities' courses are
geared for technical skills. However, firms increasingly want IT
managers who understand corporate strategy because they need people
to align outsourcing deals with business needs. Boards are also
demanding that IT staff report to them in business rather than
traditional IT terms.