IT departments still "hiring rather than firing"

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 3 Apr 2009 at 14:07

British IT managers are still looking to hire rather than fire staff, according to a new survey.

Just over a third of IT directors say they intend to increase staffing levels over the coming year, while only one in five plan to reduce the headcount, according to ReThink Recruitment.

However, the recruiter warns that those figures are worse than they were six months ago, and that almost a third of IT departments have already shed staff.

Permanent jobs are getting rarer, Michael Bennett, director of ReThink tells PC Pro. "The use of contractors is increasing," he says, dismissing earlier reports about a lack of contractor vacancies. "Contractor [job] adverts are definitely down, but companies don't need to advertise as much to find people," he explains.

Rates of pay are definitely on the decline, however. "There's pressure on rates," Bennett adds. "People are offering less."

Bennett claims IT is holding up relatively well compared to other sectors of the market, not least construction and white collar workers. However, there's no room for complacency, with 37% of IT directors expressing concern over their ability to retain key staff as the recession continues.