A report published in October by business and IT consulting firm Clarion Consulting has revealed that many businesses are experiencing difficulties in recruiting IT staff, amidst a growing demand for employees with information technology skills.

Forty nine per cent of respondents classified the search for temporary staff in particular as ‘reasonably difficult’. Recruitment agencies remain the first port of call for sourcing IT staff, with 67 per cent of those surveyed using this method. However, well over half (61 per cent) of respondents expressed a marked dissatisfaction with their services.

‘We have seen a shift away from traditional recruitment agencies to a more consulting-based approach,’ said Ronan Foley, a Director of Clarion Consulting. ‘Clients are increasingly turning to niche providers whose recruitment services are supported by a consulting knowledge-base. This approach minimises selection risk, offers far greater value to the assignment and ensures much higher performance levels from the individual.’

The survey revealed a strong upward trend in IT recruitment over the next twelve months. Just over one-third (35 per cent) of businesses surveyed indicate that they intend to hire IT staff with skills in areas such as project management, systems analysis and network security. The report comes amidst industry warnings of a skills shortage in the ICT sector and a well-publicised, ongoing reduction in the number of school leavers opting for IT-related courses in third level.

Demand for workers in the field of IT project management is particularly high; 50 per cent of companies indicate a requirement for permanent staff with skills in this area, while 45 per cent will be seeking temporary project management employees.

‘We are seeing a much greater emphasis on building project management capability,’ said Pat Millar, Managing Director of Clarion Consulting. ‘For some time now, we have been encouraging companies to invest more in project management skills and welcome these recruitment trends which indicate solid headcount increases across temporary and permanent staff.’

The report was assembled in June of this year, with 97 companies and public sector organisations agreeing to take part.