ICT shortages could stifle Scottish jobs growth
17 September 2013
ICT skills shortages could scupper Scottish employers’ expansion plans, according to a review by ScotlandIS, the trade body for the ICT sector in Scotland, which provides an annual health check for the industry.
Tue, 17 Sept 2013ICT skills shortages could scupper Scottish employers’ expansion plans, according to a review by ScotlandIS, the trade body for the ICT sector in Scotland, which provides an annual health check for the industry.
More than 70% of companies in digital technologies plan to employ more people in the coming year and 58% will be looking for graduates to promote innovative growth, says the review.
However, the less good news is that skills shortages mean employers are still struggling to find candidates who are suitably qualified for an intensely competitive global arena.
A spokesperson for 9-20 Recruitment, the Glasgow-based specialist technology recruitment company, which sponsored the survey, says: "The challenge is keeping the talent coming through from universities and colleges to keep up with demand for skilled workers."
The survey suggests that software, web, telecoms and IT businesses contribute more than £4bn to the Scottish economy and support more than 100,000 jobs in over 1,000 innovative companies. There is an increasing focus on building software products, with the number of companies engaged in this field up to 16% from 12.4% last year.
However, reservations remain across the industry about perceived skills shortages. Alastair O'Brien, deputy chair of ScotlandIS, the trade body for the Scotland ICT industy, said: "The software industry in Scotland is crying out for suitably qualified graduates.
"Growth in our industry is being restricted and Scotland is losing out to other countries. It is unacceptable that, in the midst of a world-wide digital revolution, Scotland doesn't have enough talented graduates to exploit fantastic global opportunities."
In further IT news, a recent survey by IT and analytics staffing organisation, InterQuest Group, has also revealed the difficulties employers have in finding staff with specialist skills.
The research found that 78% of HR professionals are experiencing an increase in demand for candidates with specialist IT skills, such as Big Data (SAS, Vertica & Hadoop), HTML5, Javascript and Telecoms Protocol (iOS & Android). However, at the same time, 64% said they were having difficulty recruiting for candidates with these skills.
InterQuest’s chief executive officer Mark Braund says: ‘‘Technology in today’s society is evolving at a rapid rate and subsequently organisations that use technology, especially for competitive advantage, need access to more and more skilled staff to support this development.
“An issue occurs when, as we have found, organisations are not able to find employees with these specific abilities. New and emerging technologies represent some of the toughest challenges.”
More than 70% of companies in digital technologies plan to employ more people in the coming year and 58% will be looking for graduates to promote innovative growth, says the review.
However, the less good news is that skills shortages mean employers are still struggling to find candidates who are suitably qualified for an intensely competitive global arena.
A spokesperson for 9-20 Recruitment, the Glasgow-based specialist technology recruitment company, which sponsored the survey, says: "The challenge is keeping the talent coming through from universities and colleges to keep up with demand for skilled workers."
The survey suggests that software, web, telecoms and IT businesses contribute more than £4bn to the Scottish economy and support more than 100,000 jobs in over 1,000 innovative companies. There is an increasing focus on building software products, with the number of companies engaged in this field up to 16% from 12.4% last year.
However, reservations remain across the industry about perceived skills shortages. Alastair O'Brien, deputy chair of ScotlandIS, the trade body for the Scotland ICT industy, said: "The software industry in Scotland is crying out for suitably qualified graduates.
"Growth in our industry is being restricted and Scotland is losing out to other countries. It is unacceptable that, in the midst of a world-wide digital revolution, Scotland doesn't have enough talented graduates to exploit fantastic global opportunities."
In further IT news, a recent survey by IT and analytics staffing organisation, InterQuest Group, has also revealed the difficulties employers have in finding staff with specialist skills.
The research found that 78% of HR professionals are experiencing an increase in demand for candidates with specialist IT skills, such as Big Data (SAS, Vertica & Hadoop), HTML5, Javascript and Telecoms Protocol (iOS & Android). However, at the same time, 64% said they were having difficulty recruiting for candidates with these skills.
InterQuest’s chief executive officer Mark Braund says: ‘‘Technology in today’s society is evolving at a rapid rate and subsequently organisations that use technology, especially for competitive advantage, need access to more and more skilled staff to support this development.
“An issue occurs when, as we have found, organisations are not able to find employees with these specific abilities. New and emerging technologies represent some of the toughest challenges.”
