IT jobs market heats up in UK

Finance-sector specialists are particularly in demand as IT vacancies rise

The number of IT jobs on offer in the second quarter of 2006 leapt almost 50 percent compared with the previous three months, according to figures published today by Computer People.

The IT recruitment specialist tracks job adverts and the employment intentions of firms. Its quarterly report says 7,246 new jobs were created during April to June, compared with fewer than 5,000 in the first quarter. Up to 60 percent of permanent posts on offer were new positions rather than replacements.

Jane Binner, associate director at Computer People, said the defence, financial and public sectors accounted for much of the increase: “We’ve got one financial company looking for 600 new staff.” She added that Java and .Net specialists are currently proving most difficult to recruit.