Demand for IT staff fell in May, but the news was not all bad,
with the number of vacancies falling slower than in most other
sectors and the rate of decline easing.
Some skills are still in demand, with .net, Sharepoint, PHP,
business intelligence and general IT skills all in short supply for
permanent positions.
Contractors with CNC programmers, .net, and Sharepoint skills
should also find it easier to find jobs.
The KPMG and Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)
report on jobs shows that the number of IT vacancies has
declined.
IT fared better than many sectors, sitting at number two on the
vacancies league table. Only nursing and medical care saw a rise in
vacancies last month.
Overall, the drop in demand was the slowest fall for seven
months, and rates of decline continued to ease.
Mike Stevens, partner and head of business services at KPMG,
said, "There is now some reason to hope that the UK jobs market has
overcome the worst, at least for this phase of the recession. For
the third successive month we have seen a slowing in the rate of
decline in both temporary and permanent staff appointments. Demand
for staff is still falling but much less fast than at the beginning
of the year and many employers seem to be holding off shedding
staff and contemplating recruitment."
But he added it is difficult to build real optimism, with public
sector spending now in the balance as governments start to reign in
outgoings and cut back on borrowing.
The report was produced by Markit Economics and sponsored by REC
and KPMG.