Demand for IT staff rose in the last quarter, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Technology Demand and Supply report, produced by e-skills UK.

The data shows that permanent vacancies were up by 8% and 11% for contractors, compared to the previous quarter. The number of available applicants decreased with the ratio between demand and supply of labour now standing at 1.2 potential applicants per job.

Advertised demand for IT staff has risen over four consecutive quarters and now stands at the highest level since Q4 2008, when demand started to slowly return to growth.