Increased demand for IT staff in July

Demand for permanent and temporary IT staff is still rising, with the growth rate for July faster than that seen in June, according to a KPMG and REC report.

The Report on Jobs revealed that the index for permanent staff rose from 67.1 in June to 68.1 in July, the highest level for three months and above the average for all permanent jobs across the UK (67.6).

Demand for temporary staff is also on the rise, with the growth rate at a six-month high. This index stood at 63.7 in June, rising to 63.9 in July.

The report showed IT in seventh place out of nine sector categories in the league table of demand for staff.

Heath Jackson, partner in KPMG's CIO advisory practice, said: “For the first time in months, we are witnessing churn in the labour market. It seems employees are finally beginning to wake up to the opportunities available to them.

“Perhaps it is true that ‘every person has their price’ because the movement in labour is coinciding with another rise in starting salaries. Just a few months ago, employers couldn’t tempt staff to switch roles, but now the indications are that employees’ caution over change is being replaced by hunger for something new.”

The KPMG report echoes recent research by recruitment consultant Robert Walters, which found that advertised IT vacancies jumped 8% year on year in the second quarter of 2014.

Data from the Robert Walters UK Job Index showed demand for IT professionals has continued to rise, after the first quarter of 2014 saw an increase of only 2% in advertised roles.

The Robert Walters UK Job Index monitors the number of vacancies posted to online platforms.