Search results

This report presents the results of a study into the balance between the demand for, and supply of, skills in the information technology (IT) sector in Northern Ireland. The study was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Skills Task Force as part of its advisory role to government on how best to assist economic growth by meeting the current and future skill needs of the industry. The IT sector has been identified by the Task Force as a priority skills area where skills shortages would hamper the further development of the sector and the growth of the Northern Ireland economy. The report contains two studies: (1) Employment practices, perceptions and IT skills shortages: the case of Northern Ireland; and (2) An analysis of demand and supply conditions in the Northern Ireland IT labour market. The first study assesses the nature and extent of supply-side difficulties being experienced by Northern Ireland IT firms. The research found that employers viewed the labour market for IT professionals as relatively tight for all workers above the inexperienced graduate level, with significant shortages in the supply of systems developers and project managers in particular. These shortages were mainly the result of inability to recruit suitable technically efficient and experienced staff. The second study sought to determine the likely extent and duration of any imbalances in the labour market for new IT graduates and technical support staff for the period up to and including 2005. Overall, the research suggests that shortages are unlikely in the Northern Ireland labour market for IT graduates over the next five years as long as enrolments continue to grow at their current trend rates.