The decline in the IT jobs market looks as though it
might be beginning to level out.
The past quarter has seen an easing off in the fall of vacancies
in London, which has previously borne the brunt of the recruitment
downturn because of its
exposure to finance.
Research for Computer Weekly by Salary Services Limited showed
the number of vacancies fell by 1.9% in inner London and 7.6% in
outer London between March and July this year. This is compared
with a 68% fall in inner London's IT vacancies in the six months to
March.
Software houses and consultancies are IT's biggest recruiters,
accounting for 58.7% of all job advertising. The rate of decline in
this sector is starting to slow, with a fall of 6.1% quarter on
quarter. Compared with the
last quarter of 2008, when the number of vacancies fell 24%,
things appear to be levelling out a little - although to say there
are green shoots of recovery would probably be going too far.
Overall, technology jobs advertising is down 10%, an improvement
on the peak decline rate of 26%
last winter. Contractors are often still bearing the brunt of
any cutbacks, with companies keen to keep in-house experience and
skills.
In a further sign of slight improvement, the demand for
contractors in the finance sector rose 0.5% since the start of
2009. But this could be due to big finance companies flying in
cheaper consultants from countries such as India, with reports
surfacing of UK contractors having to accept 15% pay cuts as a
result.
While the IT jobs downturn may be showing signs of easing in
London, the rest of the UK is still experiencing big drops. Jobs
are down by 21.9% in the West Midlands, 10.9% in the South of
England and 10.2% in Scotland and Northern Ireland. While it may be
heartening to see a couple of signs that are more positive, there
is a long way to go yet.
Top tips for securing an IT job in the downturn