The number of IT jobs is set to grow at 2.19% per year, nearly five times faster than the UK average, according to research from e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology.

With over half a million new IT telecoms professionals required over the next five years, the research, ‘Technology Insights 2011’, shows that this year alone the sector will require 110,000 new candidates to satisfy demand.

Almost half of these will be individuals employed in other occupations moving into IT telecoms, while 17% will need to come directly from education. The remainder are expected to be made up of those re-entering the workforce after a career break or from a period of unemployment.

e-skills UK anticipates that the jobs on offer will be primarily in high-value roles, which require sophisticated business and management skills alongside deep technical competence.