IT skills crisis on the cards

A new report paints a bleak picture for firms seeking senior IT staff

Firms are having difficulties filling high-level IT vacancies, leading to delayed product development and loss of business in many cases, according to a new report.

Over a third of firms have vacancies for IT professionals that they have been unable to fill, according to the report from skills body E-skills UK and Gartner Consulting. As a result, 76 percent of these companies have been forced to delay the development of new products and services.

The IT Insights - Trends and UK Skills Implications report says that 42 percent of these firms with recruitment problems suffered higher operating costs due to unfilled posts, while 22 percent lost business to a competitor.

But companies also appear to be suffering from a lack of more basic technology skills among their employees. More than a quarter of the 3,200 respondents reported a lack of everyday IT user skills within their firm.

The IT skills gaps could have dire consequences for the long-term health of the UK economy, according to E-skills UK's chief executive Karen Price. "The UK will not be competitive in the global economy in 10 years time if we continue with the level and type of skills being relied on by business today," she warned.

Following regional consultations, E-skills UK will publish recommendations to help firms, education establishments and the government to take action and collaborate to reduce the skills gap.