IT employer confidence increases again: report

IT employer confidence is on the up again for the fifth consecutive quarter with a 0.2 per cent rise in businesses planning to increase permanent staff levels, a new report indicates.

According to recruitment company Hudson, employer confidence is the highest since 2008. The findings are published in the latest instalment of The Hudson Report; a publication based on “employment expectations and economic commentary”.

Hudson national practice director Martin Retschko said employer confidence is 7.1 per cent higher in the IT industry compared to other industries, and this growth is largely driven from the financial services sector

“There have been major IT hiring announcements by a range of large organisations in the financial services sector,” Retschko said.

Retschko said the drive for employer investment in the IT industry is being driven by a widespread IT skills shortage.

“There is no doubt we are beginning to see a return to the severe skills shortages of 2007 in many areas. As employers work through back filling vacant roles – increasing capacity of their existing workforces through to hiring for new roles – more emphasis must be placed on emphasis must be placed on employee performance,” he said.

This finding is consistent with what some industry experts are saying about a new skills shortage. Employers are being encouraged to use new tactics to lure and keep staff in the quest for IT talent