IT job vacancies surge in financial and public sectors

Latest research from CWJobs reveals a hunger for new blood is especially strong in the south and south-west

Demand for IT professionals in the financial and public sectors has increased for the first time since 2008 and 2010 respectively, research from CWJobs.co.uk has revealed.

In total, financial vacancies have increased five per cent, mainly due to a need for more IT security skills and to ensure back-office technology is fully secure, and public sector vacancies have grown by three per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

Richard Nott, website director of CWJobs, said: “There is a real appetite among UK businesses to digitise their operations – it is more efficient in most instances and it is what their customers are demanding, especially in the finance sector.

“The industry has been relatively slow to adopt, most likely due to considerations around security. However, these figures demonstrate that financial companies are now making their move in the digital sphere.”

The number of IT positions posted was up five per cent, with roles for software developers marking 41 per cent of this increase. Skills most in demand include SQL, C# and .Net.

Nott added: “The UK has a reputation for being a hub for innovation and we are noticing that a rise in start-ups has created huge demand for software developers who can create the IT framework to support new ventures.”

Unsurprisingly, 78 per cent of all IT jobs advertised are concentrated in the south and south-west regions.

The freelance market has also grown, with a seven per cent increase in postings for freelance staff – a 21 per cent leap when compared with last year, CWJobs found.