UK businesses could face an IT talent drought

Almost three-quarters of IT leaders have experienced difficulty recruiting staff with the right skills and experience, according to research commissioned by cloud computing specialist Reconnix.

Only 12% of those who hired for technology related positions believed that there were sufficient or surplus candidates for the jobs on offer. This came in stark contrast to the view of technology graduates and students, however. Eighty-two percent remained positive about their employment prospects.

Reconnix’ study, entitled ‘The Gap Years’, surveyed 100 UK-based IT leaders and contrasted opinions against a further 200 technology students and graduates on the issues affecting the IT job market in the UK.

Despite a drive from government and education advisers to promote the uptake of STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – there are still a number of areas where talent continues to be scarce. These include web application development, internet and networking, and data analysis.

Graduates and students were more likely to be drawn to support roles, Reconnix found, such as server support (38%) and desktop support (34%). Only 18% of students were considering careers in data analysis or networking, despite these being the hardest roles to fill.

“The technology sector is currently facing a massive challenge in finding the properly qualified staff it needs to grow,” said Pat Nice, CEO of Reconnix. “The UK tech sector has been one of the darlings of the UK’s economic recovery but its full potential will not be reached as long as companies face difficulty in filling key technical positions.”

 She added: “Graduates are leaving university with a broad understanding of technology, but lacking critical skills that employers actually require. Employers need to take a more hands-on approach to help develop talent in the industry, whether this is working more closely with education establishments or directly training through apprenticeship programmes.”