IT and Telecoms employers at historically bullish levels

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 30 January 2008 13:05

IT People - Enterprise

Sentiment among Australian employers of IT and Telecoms staff are at historically high levels, according to a new report. Both of the closely related technology sectors recorded strong increases in employers looking to hire more staff during the first quarter of 2008, with Telecommunications posting a record increase.

According to The Hudson Report, produced by national recruiter Hudson Group, employer sentiment, which measures the percentage of employers intending to hire additional staff across particular industry sectors in a designated quarter, is particularly strong for technology.

The Hudson survey found that 51.4% of employers of Telecommunications staff intend to put more people on in the March quarter, a record 15pp higher than the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the employers of IT staff were not far behind, with 49% saying that will increase staff numbers, 6.3pp jump on the previous quarter and 6.1pp higher than the same quarter in 2007. The IT employer sentiment is the highest on record, according to the report.

"There is continuing market demand for innovative IT solutions as evidenced by significant growth occurring within small to medium companies. However, growth has been kept in check by high salary increases. Current employer predilection for recruiting talent on a permanent basis is indicative of the supply and demand challenges presently faced by the industry. In turn,
employees are now expecting to change jobs more frequently, and many professionals are prepared to locate overseas in order to secure the role they want," the report states.

The Hudson Report attributes growth in Telecoms employment in part to larger organisations opting to grow their revenue through a partner channel model, which has led to significant
growth of employee numbers in small to medium companies.

"The trend to secure specific (Telcommunications) skills on a permanent basis is set to continue as more and more organisations begin to implement risk management strategies to address the shortage of suitable talent," the report states.