New research has revealed that the information economy has been growing by leaps and bounds – and much of that success is due to the efforts of IT contractors.
You don’t have to go far to find an umbrella service contractor working in the IT field. It’s a popular sector to work in, and you can make a very good living as an IT contractor thanks to the dire need that firms have for skilled and qualified workers with specific information technology expertise. IT workers know this, and they’re prepared for their stock to rise even higher over the next few years as the skills shortage continues to grip the UK, but the true contribution that IT workers have made to the economy has finally come out into the open.
A trio of trade industry bodies recently conducted a research survey that found the contribution of the information economy has risen to £72 billion. This makes it a major player, as it now contributes to 5 per cent of the total UK economy. On top of that, the information technology’s sector performance includes a growth rate of 5 per cent – three percentage points higher than the overall national average.
Now is it just me or is it obvious that the driving force behind the information economy has been the humble IT worker? Perhaps it’s time to give credit where it’s due and recognise the contributions of these clever men and women that work their arses off to provide IT solutions to businesses both large and small? Not only that, but IT contractors work in the face of highly constrained employment conditions where they’re being pulled in a thousand different directions thanks to the talent shortage.
These IT freelancers have been working tirelessly for years with nary a discouraging word or complaint, simply happy to be working and to be contributing to society. There’s a lot we can learn from the IT industry, and we also need to now give back to IT contractors by making sure we’re supporting them as much as they’ve supported us. Don’t you think it’s high time that we refurbish the education system in this country so that we can bring a new generation of IT workers to the market with the skills and expertise they need to make positive contributions? For what it’s worth, the IT industry deserves to be propped up, so let’s make it happen!
