The number of IT jobs being advertised has risen by 26%
since the start of the year, pushing vacancies to their highest
level for five years.
The latest
Computer Weekly/SSL Survey of IT Appointments Data and Trends
found that firms are struggling to find developers and project
managers with the right skills. Several said they were resorting to
outsourcing development, or hiring contract staff to fill
positions.
The number of jobs advertised for development staff rose by 8.1%
between the second and third quarters, from 42,611 to 46,072.
Demand for systems developers grew by 10%, with 33,834 advertised
positions.
Recruitment agencies said the high number of integration and
regulatory compliance projects have led to a surge in demand for
developers and project managers.
Lawrence Levy, managing director at recruitment firm
Levy Associates, said, "There are a lot of integration projects
due to companies merging. Companies also want online systems, which
are more efficient and cheap to run, and this is what Java and .net
developer skills provide. New regulations, such as Basel 2, also
mean lots of compliance projects."
Jon Butterfield, managing director at Rethink Recruitment, said,
"The market for
Java and .net skills is going absolutely beserk. You just
cannot find people, and companies are having to import from
Poland."
Gideon Kay, IT and business services manager at Haden Building
Management, said the firm had experienced difficulty in
recruiting.
"There is no shortage of systems developers who can attend
interview, but most do not meet our criteria of technical,
interpersonal, communication and creativity skills," he said. "What
is driving this demand is the need for innovation, and this means
enhanced IT systems."
Ian Campbell, CIO at
British Energy, said, "There are difficulties, because there
are a greater number of business-led projects than a few years ago.
These projects increasingly require substantial support from IT.
The projects have also got more complex, so staff need to be more
experienced. Competition for developers, especially for certain
skills, is intense."
The shortages have had a disproportionate impact on public
sector organisations, which are unable to match private sector
salaries.
Jos Crease, IT director at Hampshire County Council, said,
"There is a disparity between public and private sector pay.
Applicants from private organisations have often been paid double
what we can afford, and yet I would consider them to be
unappointable."