Contractor agencies recruiting in the IT industry are struggling to source candidates with sufficient skillsets for specialist roles, despite high levels of contractor availability in the sector. This suggests that contractors who invest in increasing and broadening their skillset can benefit from a greater number of contract opportunities.
This is according to recent research [registration required] carried out by supply management company Comensura, which has found that a tendency by contractors to favour front-end IT roles such as business analysis and project management positions has left a shortfall in candidates who have the skills required to fill more niche roles in IT development, architecture and security.
“IT is a continually expanding sector, which isn’t going to slow down anytime soon,” highlights ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. “As such, the IT contractor workforce is flourishing and competitiveness is at a premium. It is important for contractors to seek out gaps in the market, such as those highlighted in this study, in order to ensure they stay in high demand.”
This shortage comes in spite of a particularly buoyant market, with more IT professionals seeking contractor roles than before. Demand for professionals is set to increase upwards of 10% in 2016, according to 77% of the survey’s respondents, which is matched by an equally competitive market, with more than 50% of agencies considering the overall availability of IT professionals to be ‘high/very high’.
However, specialist roles are proving to be undersubscribed and undersupplied. More than 40% of recruiters report struggling to fill IT development roles, whilst suitable IT security candidates are almost as difficult to find, with 38% reporting difficulties sourcing candidates. Meanwhile, 25% of agencies are struggling to source IT architecture specialists.
The report reads: “There is little doubt that we are currently living in the age of technology. The vast majority of businesses in the UK have joined the trend and the use of strategic technologies is growing, therefore more IT specialists are entering the workforce. However, problems remain in recruiting the necessary talent, and addressing the skills gaps within the workforce is an ongoing problem.”
The high frequency at which employers seek a single candidate who is knowledgeable across multiple IT areas is highlighted. While expectations are often realistic, with such candidates being typically extremely difficult to find, it does suggest that contractors who explore specialist training in undersupplied areas of the sector can get ahead of the market.
This requirement for suitably skilled contractors is further emphasised by findings from research by The Tech Partnership, cited by Comensura, with regards to in-house expertise. The study found that 50% of businesses reported a shortfall in sufficiently skilled staff. This was largely due to the launch of new projects, products and services, as well as a lack of sufficient training, for one reason or another.