Umbrella company IT contractors could be amongst those to benefit from an anticipated increased spend in IT and telecoms services.
In-Stat, the independent industry analyst, has said that spending on IT services is set to increase this year, despite the challenges that still face the global economy.
The firm’s latest report indicates that spending on IT and telecoms services is set to rise by 6% this year, driven by demand for cloud computing, VoIP and wireless and wireline services.
Greg Potter, one of In-Stat’s analysts, said all 20 verticals will show growth with education, healthcare and social services leading the way. The only product group which is not expected to grow is wireline voice, which will decrease by a mere 0.5%.
Firms specialising in cloud computing should be the big winners. The In-Stat data claims that public cloud computing services spend will increase 139% on last year’s figure.
Whilst this is good news for the IT sector as a whole, IT professionals are struggling to draw up a solid plan for their IT career.
Research by Elan showed that 54% of respondents said the industry changes too quickly and 57% said IT workers think only of their next role as opposed to their long-term career aspirations.
The MD of Elan Solutions, Geoff Smith, said that employees are feeling the strain from the fast paced nature of change in the IT industry. Employers who let workers learn new IT skills, and update their current ones, will have an edge when it comes to hiring and retaining a motivated workforce.
The study also found that five years in one IT job is considered by many as long-term, although 30% of respondents had been in their present position for more than a decade.
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