Skills index surfaces IT manager job shortfall

A shortage of 100 IT manager jobs has emerged, while the second half of the year will see improvements in ICT job hiring due to new projects coming online, according the Clarius Skills Indicator report for March quarter 2013.

Linda Trevor, executive general manager of Candle, the IT recruitment arm of the Clarius Group, said employers are looking for candidates who have combined businesses communications and technical skills.

“Job-seekers, who have the skills to understand and communicate in business terms with clients, are at the head of the queue. For example, a developer will also need to be able to speak to the client business about productivity, marketing and economic values of a project,” Trevor said in a statement.

The report forecast that permanent job hiring will pick up during the second half of the year as government projects such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme will start to come online, and employers in Western Australia and South Australia will start increasing requirements for both contract and permanent positions.

In New South Wales, the state government’s ICT strategy for 2013 and beyond will drive ICT jobs in the future, while employers in the Australian Capital Territory are positioning themselves for both the election and a predicted upturn in the employment market late in 2013 and early 2014.

Queensland has seen a reduction in the number of permanent positions due to the delay in the release of the budgets, which came out earlier this year. Employers in the state are also pushing back on hiring decisions, along with employers in Victoria who are cautious about spending money and bringing in the right talent for their organisations.

The report also found small and medium sized businesses are looking to bring their IT back in-house this year.

“We are noticing a slight trend of IT being ‘in-sourced’ because while the projects are coming in on budget, they’re taking longer due to overseas outsourcing,” read the report.

“In Sydney, we are also seeing some companies looking to put more local people into their businesses, rather than import from overseas.”

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