The demand for IT staff is still strong
02.11.2001

Last year there were countless predictions of recession in demand for IT skills. Y2K nightmares disappeared and project teams were disbanded. And no one could have predicted the huge lay-offs from dotcoms. On top of this, many high-tech companies talked about profit cuts and the need to reduce headcounts.

However, according to the 'Salaries and Staff Issue in IT 2001 survey' the demand for IT staff is still very strong. The survey shows that 57% of companies propose to increase their IT staffing levels and we can expect to see a 13% growth in the total IT staff population over the next two years. This suggests that staff laid off from the Y2K projects or dotcom collapses shouldn't have many problems finding new employment.

What's more, the high demand for IT staff is fueling salary increases significantly above the rate of inflation. At 5.2%, the average rise in IT salaries was not only ahead of inflation, but also ahead of the average increase in earnings across industry as a whole.