Latest ICT Snapshot shows increased optimism within ICT firms in Northern Ireland
28 January 2011
e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology has published the third Northern Ireland ICT Snapshot, the definitive source of information about changes in the demand for ICT labour and skills in Northern Ireland.
The ICT Snapshot, funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, forms part of the ongoing work of the Bring IT On Steering Committee to better understand the requirements for ICT skills in Northern Ireland. It provides employers, educators and policy makers with an authoritative summary of the latest ICT labour market intelligence, drawing on the results from a survey of more than 300 employers of ICT professionals in Northern Ireland.
The Snapshot shows that while fewer companies recruited in 2010, they took on larger volumes of staff. Currently 9% of ICT companies have vacancies for ICT professionals and ICT professional skills shortages remain more common in NI than elsewhere in the UK.
The key findings include:
- Nearly half (45%) of ICT companies in Northern Ireland are more optimistic about the outlook for their business than they were in mid-2010. The state of the global economy, government debt and the availability of business are the overriding factors for concern.
- Around three in five ICT companies (60%) expect productivity, profitability, turnover and sales to increase in 2011.
- The outlook for 2011, although down on 2010, is still positive, with nearly a quarter of ICT companies expecting to recruit IT & Telecoms professionals over the next six months.
- However, nearly one in five ICT companies (18%) anticipate that recruitment over the next six months will be difficult mainly due to a lack of skills, qualifications and experience in applicants.
- Recruitment is predominantly in the area of software development with technical skills most commonly sought in new recruits including: SQL, .NET, SQL Server, JDBC, Java, C#, PHP, JavaScript, C++ and HTML.
- Recruits are mainly drawn from the local labour market in Northern Ireland but around one in ten companies have taken on recruits from the rest of the UK, Republic of Ireland or EU countries and one in twenty companies have recruited from other international countries for specific skills.
The results from the Snapshot will be used to inform the development of education and training provision in Northern Ireland and careers advice and guidance.
Mark Feeney, e-skills UK Manager for Northern Ireland, said: "The findings of the latest Snapshot show that while there are still challenges facing the ICT industry in Northern Ireland, many companies are starting to feel more positive about the future. And although recruitment is slightly down on last year, there are still many varied and exciting job opportunities in the sector. It is important that we continue to work closely with employers and educators to promote careers in the sector and invest in the training and development of the ICT workforce to ensure Northern Ireland has the right technology skills to drive the economy forward."
Andy Ross, Chief Executive, Northgate Managed Services added "Northgate is pleased to welcome e-skills UK's Northern Ireland Snapshot. This important research publication provides a definitive analysis of the ICT labour market and helps to inform employers and government on the development of education and training provision in Northern Ireland. This latest edition emphasises the importance of continuing to prioritise the ICT industry, and the skills of those working in it, to ensure that businesses in every sector have the skills they need to succeed."
