Technology jobs drying up as market hits the doldrums
New figures from listed recruiter Clarius Group's quarterly Skills Indicator to March 2013 show the information and communications technology (ICT) market has an over-supply of 300 workers and a shortage of 100 managers.
Clarius estimated the sector employs 216,000 ICT professionals and 47,000 managers.
Lacklustre conditions are mirrored in the wider market. The Indicator reports more than 75,000 skilled job seekers across all sectors, up from 42,000 in the December quarter.
While downturns in the permanent sector have historically been matched by a rise in contract hiring, recruiters say neither side is benefiting at present.
Linda Trevor, the executive general manager for Candle, Clarius' ICT recruitment arm, said the only good news was a modest increase in government contract roles in Queensland in the past two months.
The Newman government canned hundreds of roles in mid-2012 but had recently begun hiring again.
IT Contract Recruitment Association CEO Julie Mills said slow times had taken the toughest toll on those at the bottom, with networking and helpdesk staff struggling to find work.
The recruiters' stance is at odds with the Australian Computer Society, which late last year predicted the creation of 12,300 ICT industry jobs by February this year.
Read the full story at theage.com.au/it-pro
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The article reports the Australian technology job market is in the doldrums: permanent roles are drying up, entry-level staff are struggling to find work, some senior program managers are facing large pay cuts or spending months on the bench, and recruiters are seeing weak demand across the sector.
Clarius Group's quarterly Skills Indicator to March 2013 found an oversupply of about 300 ICT workers alongside a shortage of roughly 100 managers. It estimated the sector employs around 216,000 ICT professionals and 47,000 managers.
According to recruiters quoted in the article, neither permanent nor contract hiring is benefiting at present. Historically a fall in permanent hiring has been offset by more contract roles, but recruiters say both sides are weak in the current slowdown.
The slowdown is taking the toughest toll on entry-level positions. Networking and helpdesk staff are specifically struggling to find work, while some senior program managers are experiencing big pay cuts or long periods on the bench.
There has been a modest uptick in government contract roles in Queensland in the past two months, after the Newman government had canned hundreds of roles in mid‑2012 and recently resumed some hiring. However, recruiters describe this as limited good news rather than a broad market recovery.
Recruiters are reporting on-the-ground weakness and high numbers of job seekers, while the Australian Computer Society had earlier forecast the creation of about 12,300 ICT jobs by February. The article highlights this disconnect between recruiter observations and the ACS's more optimistic forecast.
The Indicator reported more than 75,000 skilled job seekers across all sectors, up from 42,000 in the December quarter, signaling a broader rise in job-seeker numbers beyond just ICT.
Everyday investors can monitor recruitment indicators mentioned in the article: Clarius Group's Skills Indicator, the number of skilled job seekers, trends in permanent versus contract hiring, and government IT contracting activity—these can signal demand pressures and near-term weakness in the tech sector.
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