Mixed outlook for IT recruitment

New report paints positive picture for IT graduates, but less rosy for those wanting to join tech firms

A new graduate recruitment report has revealed that while technology vendors are reducing their intake of new starters, IT professionals are in demand among UK businesses, despite the threat of a worsening economic climate.

The Association of Graduate Recruiters Summer Review surveyed the hiring plans of 242 UK companies, which between them will be responsible for employing almost 24,000 graduates this year. It found that IT roles accounted for nine percent of all graduate vacancies across those firms, which included industry giants such as BA, Deloitte and Oracle. Accountancy roles made up a fifth of vacancies, followed by investment banking, general management and then IT.

The median starting salary for IT graduate roles was £25,000 per year, coming in at fifth on the list of 20 professions and slightly above the average of £24,500. The highest salaries were for legal work and investment banking, both attracting a starting salary of £36,000.

The report also highlighted concern among UK businesses about a shortfall in IT expertise. Just under a quarter of respondents expected to be affected by an IT skills shortage, although only nine percent were worried about gaps in basic computer skills – far behind the 56 percent who were concerned that graduates would be lacking in adequate writing skills.

However, while those graduates wanting to enter the IT profession will be cheered by the healthy number of vacancies available, the outlook for the technology sector is less rosy.

The number of graduate vacancies at IT vendors has fallen 14 percent compared to 2007, placing it second from bottom of all industry sectors.Technology companies accounted for only two percent of all vacancies advertised across the 17 sectors.

The IT sector was also second on the list of number of applications per vacancy, making it a very tough market for graduates to enter. For every role advertised by a technology firm, 59 applications were received, compared to 31 applications per vacancy across all sectors.