IT skills body lays out state of the sector in the UK

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Another four more reports have been released by e-skills UK as part of its ‘IT and Telecoms Insights 2008’ series.

The not-for-profit, employer-led organisation, licensed by government as the Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms, said in its ‘Trends and Skills in the UK Telecoms Industry’ report that IT outsourcing to the Far East and convergence within the telecommunications network is likely to continue.

In its ‘Competitiveness of the UK IT & Telecoms Sector’ report, e-skills UK found that the IT sector created businesses at a fast rate. However, it also started that the IT sector lost businesses faster than the rest of the economy.

The report found that the ICT sector output has increased every year since 1992 and has grown much faster than the economy as a whole, with GVA growing by 125 per cent from 1992 to 2004, compared with 91 per cent for the whole economy for the same period.

The IT and telecoms industry accounts for around 948,000 jobs, or about 3.2 per cent of total employment, according to e-skills.

The same report did find that the quality of the IT sector’s supportive environment for the IT and telecoms industry performed well, although there were concerns about skills development, innovations and research and development.

In its ‘Impact of ICT on UK Productivity’ report, e-skills UK found that the impact of ICT on productivity in the UK increased by up to £35 billion.

Worryingly, in its ‘Employer Skills Needs Survey’, e-skills UK found that skills shortages remain an issue for ICT recruiters.

However, e-skills also found that a relatively small percentage of UK employers (around two per cent) have reported difficulties attracting ICT staff with the required skills, qualifications and experience required.

The report also found that IT skills need improving to meet the needs of employers.

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