IT staff haunted by redundancy fears

Stale IT skillsets spell difficulty for remployment

A new survey from online recruitment agency IT Job Board suggests that senior IT managers are regarded as among those most at risk from being made redundant.

The research found that more than a third (39 per cent) of IT professionals polled saw senior positions as being under threat. A similar number highlighted the redundancy threat that hangs over IT project leaders.

The fear of becoming jobless may be heightened by experience: almost half of IT staff polled had experience of being out of work for between three to nine months, as a result of redundancy.

The survey also highlighted that 63 per cent said that they believed six months or more is too long to be out of the job market.

IT Job Board’s international marketing head, Teresa Sperti, said that the survey results pointed to IT departments putting large projects on hold during the recession. “But, on a more positive note, these roles are more likely to be hired first when the market picks up,” she said.

“Across the board, companies are either going into administration, or laying off staff. Those IT professionals who have been made redundant need to remain positive, get networking, and look at ways of keeping their skills-base up-to-date,” she added.