Stan Beer
Monday, 18 May 2009 12:56
IT People -
Enterprise
Page 1 of 2
Anyone
hoping for a quick turnaround in the ICT jobs sector looks set to be
disappointed with a new report showing that nervous businesses and ever
more cautious government agencies are putting projects and staff hirings
on hold. What's more, if the report is to be believed, things don't
look like getting better until mid-2010.
The Clarius Skills Index, published by Candle ICT parent Clarius,
fell for ICT professionals by 2.2% in the March quarter 2009, from a
high reading of 103.3 back in December to 101.1.
In real terms
that’s an overall industry sector shortfall of around 1,000 people,
according to the Index. Tightening government budgets have played a
role the fall in this quarter’s figures, according to Clarius.
This
compares with the third quarter of 2008 when Australia needed 9,000
more skilled ICT people and 8,000 in the last quarter of 08.
The
Clarius Skills Index analyses labour demand against supply, using
labour force data supplied by the Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The
results are reflected in a skills barometer which applies a ranking to
specific occupation categories.
But it’s not all bad news with supply and demand variations in the ICT industry across all States.
The
Index reports that the global financial crisis has hit the business
sector in Australia and most firms have put plans for additional
recruitment on hold.
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