IT sector bucks jobs trend as salaries and vacancies soar

IT industry branded 'recession proof' as sector's salaries swell five per cent on last November

IT salaries have boomed in the past six months, outgrowing all other sectors in the UK, according to new research.

Recruitment analyst Adzuna claims that average salaries in IT swelled five per cent annually between November and May – faster than in any other sector. IT salaries reached an average of £43,127, ahead of the national average of £33,617, which fell 1.7 per cent year on year.

Adzuna collects information on every job vacancy advertised online in the UK from more than 300 sources and claims to provide an up-to-the-minute view of the job market.

More than half a million new IT jobs have been created over the same period, which the analyst held up as evidence of the country's success in becoming more tech-focused.

IT recruitment firm Randstad Technologies' managing director Mike Beresford said the IT sector is "recession proof".

"The proliferation of technology in every part of our lives fuels enormous demand for the skilled professionals who can bring these ideas to life," he explained.

"Beyond mobile developers, system administrators and web designers, we are noticing a particular demand for experienced project managers who can blend strong technical knowledge with the softer skills needed to manage teams of developers and drive projects through to completion."

Software asset management (SAM) recruiter Merlin Corp's managing director Paul Davis said the booming IT industry is partly down to the move to the cloud. He added that the cloud surge has driven companies to become more aware of licence compliance, which has led to a boom in requirements for SAM staff, but added that hardware firms will not be experiencing similar demand for new staff.

Across all sectors in the UK, 460,493 jobs were advertised in May – down 1.4 per cent on last year. Average annual salaries in the UK across all industries fell by £1,504 per year over the same period.

Aberdeen, Cambridge and Guildford are the easiest places to find jobs, according to the survey. The Wirral, Salford and Hull ranked among the hardest places to find work, with between 47 and 57 people on average applying for each job in those areas.

All the top 10 places with the lowest number of jobseekers per vacancy were in the south, while eight of the 10 hardest places to find a job were in the north.