Six out of 10 employers say IT skills have a significant effect on their companies’ productivity, according to research.
And two-thirds say general IT proficiency has a large or defining impact, says the quarterly ICT Inquiry survey of 1,000 businesses published by sector skills council e-Skills UK.
‘It is encouraging to see that UK businesses are recognising the positive impact that sound IT user skills can have on their bottom line,’ said e-Skills UK chief executive Karen Price.
Nearly a third of job vacancies for IT professionals are in systems development, nearly a quarter in systems design and 16 per cent in technical support.
The skills council has developed an online service called e-Skills Passport to help employees assess their IT proficiency and work towards formal qualifications.
Desktop PCs remain the technology with the biggest impact on business performance, according to almost half (46 per cent) of survey respondents. And the main area for increased spending in the coming year will be hardware.
But only 11 per cent of firms calculate the return on investment of technology expenditure. Technical issues were cited by 23 per cent of respondents as the top concern for the coming 12 months.
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