Does your business have IT positions it is unable to fill? |
||||||||
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
yes |
12.44% |
17.5% |
39% |
47% |
-29.14% |
|||
no |
75.4% |
68.1% |
+10.7% |
|||||
don't know |
12.2% |
14.4% |
-15.3% |
|||||
And now on to the specific skills needed in your organisation...
Which IT skills are in shortest supply at your workplace? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
Programming languages |
26.2% |
32.0% |
-18.1% |
|||
Windows |
9.0% |
9.9% |
-9.1% |
|||
Unix |
13.7% |
15.6% |
-12.2% |
|||
Netware |
5.0% |
5.7% |
-14.0% |
|||
Linux |
13.3% |
12.0% |
+10.8% |
|||
Other OS |
3.3% |
3.9% |
-15.4% |
|||
Database |
14.8% |
16.2% |
-8.6% |
|||
ERP |
10.5% |
12.0% |
-12.5% |
|||
Networking |
11.4% |
12.7% |
-10.2% |
|||
IT management |
14.8% |
16.9% |
-12.4% |
|||
Applications development |
16.5% |
16.5% |
0% |
|||
Other |
12.3% |
13.5% |
-8.9% |
|||
Don't know |
22.1% |
20.5% |
+7.8% |
|||
The one skill to stand out here is Linux -- it's the only one to have seen an increase in demand over the past 12 months. We'll be bringing you more on this over the next few days.
Which non-IT skills are in shortest supply at your workplace? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
Project Management |
34.6% |
35.7% |
-3.1% |
|||
Leadership |
30.2% |
32.3% |
-6.5% |
|||
Budget Planning |
12.0% |
13.3% |
-9.8% |
|||
Foreign languages |
22.7% |
23.8% |
-4.6% |
|||
Non-IT technical |
17.1% |
16.6% |
+3.0% |
|||
Other OS |
8.1% |
7.7% |
-5.2% |
|||
In the following tables, 1="strongly agree", 2= "agree" 3=neither "agree" nor "disagree", 4="disagree", 5="strongly disagree".
Computer science courses turn out high-quality IT Graduates |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
4.5% |
17.3% |
49.0% |
21.0% |
8.2% |
|||
2002 |
5.1% |
16.7% |
45.8% |
24.4% |
8.1% |
|||
It is important for vendor qualifications to have government backing |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
5.7% |
22.6% |
36.3% |
24.4% |
11.0% |
|||
2002 |
7.6% |
23.7% |
34.1% |
21.7% |
12.9% |
|||
Learning over the Web is becoming important in the workplace |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
15.2% |
40.5% |
26.0% |
14.2% |
4.1% |
|||
2002 |
15.4% |
40.0% |
25.1% |
15.3% |
4.2% |
|||
Hiring staff from overseas is an essential way of filling short term skill gaps |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
5.0% |
11.8% |
25.9% |
31.0% |
26.3% |
|||
2002 |
7.0% |
13.7% |
25.7% |
27.8% |
25.8% |
|||
Compared to last year, fewer respondents are saying they agree with turning to foreign IT pros, probably reflecting a slackening of demand.
IR35 has not affected the number of contractors available to complete IT projects |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
6.0% |
14.9% |
50.9% |
15.8% |
12.4% |
|||
2002 |
7.2% |
14.1% |
48.8% |
15.2% |
14.8% |
|||
There is also a growing distrust of IR35, at least in terms of it NOT affecting contractor availability.
IT managers'/directors' ideas are valued by the board |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
5.4% |
27.8% |
35.2% |
24.6% |
6.9% |
|||
2002 |
6.2% |
26.5% |
34.4% |
26.4% |
6.6% |
|||
The skills shortage has resulted in me considering using the ASP model |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
3.4% |
10.1% |
41.7% |
23.7% |
21.1% |
|||
2002 |
4.9% |
11.9% |
38.1% |
24.6% |
20.5% |
|||
Organisations need to devote more time to in-house IT training |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
32.9% |
44.4% |
14.0% |
5.8% |
2.9% |
|||
2002 |
34.4% |
42.7% |
12.5% |
6.4% |
4.0% |
|||
An increased demand for in-house training may well reflect some respondents wanting to at least "skill up" in lieu of pay rises and perks.
Job mobility is easy within the UK |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
6.1% |
30.0% |
37.3% |
19.6% |
7.0% |
|||
2002 |
8.3% |
29.8% |
36.5% |
19.2% |
6.3% |
|||
Job mobility is easy within the EU |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
3.1% |
16.4% |
47.7% |
24.2% |
8.6% |
|||
2002 |
5.1% |
17.3% |
47.4% |
22.1% |
8.1% |
|||
IT departments are making lay-offs because of the current economic slump |
||||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||||
2003 |
23.4% |
34.1% |
25.8% |
12.4% |
4.3% |
|||
2002 |
21.1% |
33.5% |
24.0% |
15.4% |
6.0% |
|||
Which industry sector do you work in? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
IT/Technology |
41.6% |
45.3% |
-8.2% |
|||
Telecoms |
8.2% |
9.2% |
-10.9% |
|||
Finance/banking |
7.2% |
7.7% |
-6.5% |
|||
Government |
4.1% |
3.8% |
+7.9% |
|||
Manufacturing |
8.5% |
6.8% |
+25% |
|||
Healthcare |
2.0% |
1.6% |
+25% |
|||
Pharmaceutical |
0.8% |
0.9% |
-11.1% |
|||
Travel/transport |
2.0% |
1.7% |
+17.6% |
|||
Education |
4.7% |
3.6% |
+30.6% |
|||
Retail |
2.4% |
2.5% |
-9.6% |
|||
Legal |
0.8% |
1.1% |
-27.3% |
|||
Media/publishing |
6.1% |
6.5% |
-6.2% |
|||
Other |
11.6% |
9.3% |
+24.7% |
|||
In broad terms, this table shows a move towards the public sector and away from private-sector-dominated areas that are likely to have seen a slower growth or to have contracted over the past year.
What is your current job title? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
I work for a vendor |
3.7% |
3.3% |
+12.1% |
|||
Board director |
7.5% |
6.6% |
+13.6% |
|||
IT Director/CIO |
6.3% |
5.3% |
+18.9% |
|||
E-commerce Manager |
1.9% |
2.2% |
-13.6% |
|||
IT Manager |
20.1% |
16.8% |
+19.6% |
|||
Network Manager |
4.2% |
4.7% |
+10.6% |
|||
IT contractor |
4.0% |
5.4% |
-25.9% |
|||
IT consultant |
17.3% |
20.5% |
-15.6% |
|||
Privacy officer/security |
0.6% |
0.6% |
0% |
|||
Communications manager |
1.9% |
1.9% |
0% |
|||
Other |
30.5% |
32.6% |
-6.4% |
|||
Unemployed |
1.9% |
|||||
Our breakdown of jobs by title also clearly depends on respondent definition. However, it perhaps isn't surprising positions such as "IT consultant" and "IT contractor" have seen a notable decrease. However, the number of you who say you are a "board director", "IT director/CIO" (clearly not mutually exclusive with the former) or an "IT manager" has risen. Meanwhile the number of "privacy/security officers" has remained constant and "E-commerce director/manager" has seen a decline, perhaps as this position becomes more widely accepted and is integrated into other roles. Of course such integration could also be the result of cut-backs or the scrapping of some e-business projects.
How much do you earn each year? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
below £25,000 |
21.7% |
22.3% |
-2.7% |
|||
£25,001-£40,000 |
35.0% |
35.0% |
0% |
|||
£40,001-£55,000 |
20.7% |
19.1% |
+8.4% |
|||
£55,001-£70,000 |
10.8% |
9.9% |
+9.1% |
|||
£70,001-£110,000 |
8.5% |
10.0% |
-15.0% |
|||
£110,001 and above |
3.4% |
3.7% |
-8.1% |
|||
While these figures look fairly healthy, given a stalled market for many IT skills, lay-offs and so on, they should be looked at in terms of inflation. The headline UK inflation rate for the 12 months to February -- a month in which we ran the first half of our survey -- had crept up to 3.2 per cent, or 3.0 per cent, excluding mortgage costs (the "underlying rate") according to government figures.
Where do you work? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
London/South East |
50.9% |
54.2% |
-6.1% |
|||
South West |
7.3% |
6.5% |
+12.3% |
|||
Midlands |
13.4% |
11.2% |
+19.6% |
|||
Wales |
2.3% |
1.7% |
+35.3% |
|||
North East |
5.2% |
4.3% |
+20.9% |
|||
North West |
6.7% |
5.3% |
+26.4% |
|||
Scotland |
4.5% |
4.3% |
+4.7% |
|||
Northern Ireland |
0.5% |
0.8% |
-37.5% |
|||
Non UK |
9.2% |
11.7% |
-21.4% |
|||
This table demonstrates a clear move away from London and the South-East of England generally, which are clearly areas with high living costs.
Northern Ireland and "non-UK" were the only other two options to see a decline.
How many hours do you work each week? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
Less than 35 hours |
5.1% |
4.2% |
+21.4% |
|||
35-40 hours |
34.1% |
32.1% |
+6.2% |
|||
40-45 hours |
28.4% |
29.7% |
-4.4% |
|||
45-50 hours |
16.3% |
18.7% |
-12.8% |
|||
50+ hours |
16.1% |
15.3% |
+5.2% |
|||
Are you male or female? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
Male |
87.0% |
84.7% |
+2.7% |
|||
Female |
13.0% |
15.3% |
-15% |
|||
Though by no means completely scientific, this part of our poll suggests there are now fewer women in the sector than last year, which is perhaps surprising. Needless to say the percentage points decrease in women is matched by the same increase in the men.
Which best describes you? |
||||||
2003 |
2002 |
% change (2002-03) |
||||
Permanent employee and do not want to change |
69.0% |
61.8% |
+11.7% |
|||
Permanent employee and want to be a contractor |
6.3% |
9.7% |
-35.1% |
|||
Contractor and do not want to change status |
7.2% |
9.8% |
-26.5% |
|||
Contractor and want to be permanent employee |
2.4% |
3.3% |
-27.3% |
|||
None of the above |
12.9% |
15.4% |
-16.2% |
|||
I am Unemployed |
2.2% |
|||||
As in previous years, the figures to look out for here are in the first and third categories -- the people we like to call "happy permies" and "happy contractors". The obvious interpretation is that as the downturn has bitten, fewer people in IT eke out a living as an independent contractor -- either through choice or because of factors such as IR35 or work drying up altogether. While the percentage point figures are small, the "happy contractor" figure has actually dropped by 26.5 per cent. Last year we failed to include an "I consider myself unemployed" category, though clearly many contractors inbetween jobs don't consider themselves unemployed.
