New IT jobs grew 32% in 2006, survey reveals

NEW jobs in the IT sector have surged 32% according to the 2006 annual salary survey by recruiter Rescon. It represents a 4% rise on last year.

However, after polling 10 universities and colleges across the country, the survey found just 33% had filled all places on their IT and computer courses.

Despite this, 40% of colleges polled reported an overall increase of places accepted on IT courses.

The survey showed over one fifth of companies found difficulty in getting specifically skilled IT personnel. Of this figure, over 80% referred to senior roles.

Topping the most wanted skills list was advanced Oracle and .Net development skills. Top of the employer’s wish list for prospective employees are graduates of BSc in software engineering and in computer applications. Diplomas in software engineering come in as a close second.

The most popular benefits and compensation packages for employees are healthcare/health insurance followed by pension contribution, and then bonuses.

Mobile phones rank as the fourth most popular benefit followed by travel allowances.

Laptops are more popular than company cars, followed by flexi-time with study leave finishing 10th place.

Salary tops the main motivation list at 40% while career prospects came a close second at 38%.

Other popular considerations included company reputation at 21%, and better compensation package at 13%. Newer technology as an attraction for employees has fallen to 16% from three years ago, when it was as high as 35%.

Location was the deciding factor of a new job for 34% of candidates.

Managing director of Rescon IT, Nessa Butler said: “This clearly reflects workers frustration with long commutes to and from the work place.”

The research, which included over 200 active contractors in the Irish market, revealed a surge in the contracting market, growing by 33.5% from June 2005.

The research found employers look for MCSE, Citrix accreditations, CCIE, and CCNP when hiring networking people. For project management PMI/PMP, PMBOK, Prince 1 or 2 qualifications are highly sought after.

Language certifications are also credited as giving candidates a leading edge.