There is no IT skills shortage

For years ñ even during the recent downturn ñ organisations have complained about a lack of good IT skills. But this belief that IT skills are short on the ground is a myth created in no small part by the recruitment agencies that have a stranglehold over the IT industry.

Most agencies have a distinct lack of IT understanding, inappropriate selection techniques and non-existent candidate qualification procedures, which means they end up needing to convince employers to accept candidates irrespective of their suitability to a specific role. It is therefore not a lack of skills on the market, but a lack of understanding on the part of agencies that has caused employer confidence to wane.

And itís not rocket-science ñ in order to successfully recruit for IT positions, you need to have an understanding of the vacant role and, more importantly, the ability to assess the technical and other skills required to fill it.

The fact that a slapdash approach to recruitment continued during the downturn when the market was flush with exceptional people is extremely worrying. With the number of vacancies now rising, organisations need to take a more proactive approach and demand a better service from recruitment companies if they want to employ the calibre of people that they need to make the most of the upturn.

Jerry Cave - Director, Plan-Net