By Andy McCue, 16 October 2007 16:29
NEWS
Almost half of UK tech departments are suffering from a shortage of project management skills.
More than 40 per cent of delegates at silicon.com's CIO Forum conference this week said project management is the skill in shortest supply.
Jonathan Steel, CEO of the Bathwick Group, who conducted the research, said: "People are being hovered up by consultants and outsourcers."
Skills Survey 2007
Find out the results of this year's Skills Survey:
♦
Are CIOs getting less cash?
♦ How the staffing crisis is deepening
♦ How techie salaries are faring
♦ Offshoring still a hot potato
♦ Banks hardest hit by staff crisis
♦ Industry falling out of love with IT grads
Four out of five delegates (80 per cent) also said their organisation has technical IT skills gaps and almost half (42 per cent) said those gaps are "significant and identifiable".
Steel said: "The situation is getting worse."
However, a breakdown of those figures reveals the technical skills shortage is not universal across all organisations, with larger companies suffering more than small and medium-sized businesses.
Staff turnover is another big issue for IT departments. The median employee attrition rate in the IT departments of CIO Forum delegates is six per cent, although a few are as high as 10 per cent, and a third said the problem is getting worse.
Other reported skills shortages are around high-level architecture and design roles.
The most common way of filling these skills gaps is through temporary workers with nearly 40 per cent of delegates using contractors or freelancers on fixed-term contracts.
When quizzed about their next career move, most of the CIO Forum delegates said they planned to move to a better IT-related role in another organisation. The least popular options were staying in their current role or joining an IT vendor.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. Gerry Holland
Maybe if this Industry Sector started considering older Employees in these roles the shortage would close a little.
At 60 I have skills and experience to offer across a breadth of Industries but I can see my age putting off a prospective Employer or Agency once face to face. Experience does count.
2. anonymous
I think this should read a shortage of project management skills under a certain age.
I am over 50 and until last year a very successful PM now I cannot get any work despite applying for in excess of 100 roles a month.
I also know of at least 16 other people in the same position so perhaps CIO's should forget their prejudices and hire some hard working "experienced" people then they wouldn't need to winge about skills shortages
3. anonymous
I think this should read a shortage of project management skills under a certain age.
I am over 50 and until last year a very successful PM now I cannot get any work despite applying for in excess of 100 roles a month.
I also know of at least 16 other people in the same position so perhaps CIO's should forget their prejudices and hire some hard working "experienced" people then they wouldn't need to winge about skills shortages
4. anonymous
I think this should read a shortage of project management skills under a certain age.
I am over 50 and until last year a very successful PM now I cannot get any work despite applying for in excess of 100 roles a month.
I also know of at least 16 other people in the same position so perhaps CIO's should forget their prejudices and hire some hard working "experienced" people then they wouldn't need to winge about skills shortages