UK IT market to stage 2010 recovery

Spending to bounce back in 2010 as corporates dust down their wallets

The UK IT market is set to stage a recovery in 2010 with the outsourcing sector leading the way.

According to the European Information Technology Observatory (EITO), the overall UK IT, telecoms and consumer electronics sector will inch up 0.5 per cent next year to €135.7bn (£122bn) after falling 2.4 per cent this year.

Pent-up demand among corporate customers will spark a 0.3 per cent rise in IT revenues (hardware, software and services) next year to €65.5bn, following a three per cent contraction in 2009.

Outsourcing will prove a hotspot with expected growth of 4.1 per cent to €23bn.

“There is an investment backlog in IT projects that will be cleared in the next two years,” said EITO Task Force chairman Axel Pols.

Telecoms equipment revenues are on course to grow a modest 0.5 per cent to €58.3bn in 2010 after a 1.4 per cent contraction this year. Digital consumer electronics revenues are set to rise two per cent next year after falling 3.9 per cent to €11.6bn this year.

“The expected economic upswing in the coming year will also give a boost to high-tech markets,” concluded Pols.