Senior IT professionals are spending a whole working day every week on administration, as businesses seek to cut down on costs, according to research.

The poll of more than 100 IT directors by Vanson Bourne and commissioned by supplier UC4 suggests that 45 per cent of managers in large businesses spend 10 to 20 per cent of their time on admin, with the figure increased to 58 per cent in small companies.

Around 70 per cent of those surveyed hold manager-level positions.

The results highlight businesses are driving drastic cost-cutting measures at the cost of a “huge waste of IT talent” , says the study.

“With the recession hitting businesses hard, the fact staff are being forced to spend the equivalent of one whole working day a week on admin beggars belief,” said Alan Smith, senior vice president at UC4.

“You wouldn’t get the chief executive to sweep the office floor, so why are highly skilled workers being forced to spend so much time on easily automated tasks?” said Smith.

“Freeing up talented IT workers to concentrate on business critical projects should be a top priority in this recession,” he said.

“Slimming down bloated business models will help cut costs while ensuring manpower is channelled into vital projects. Businesses that fail to do this will struggle to survive.”