'A tsunami of vacancies' - Channel must adapt to meet job demand says recruitment boss

Marc Sumner calls for companies to look beyond IT industry as vacancies hit pre-COVID levels

Job vacancies in the IT channel have spiked to pre-COVID levels this month but companies must cast their nets wider in order to meet the high demand, according to the managing director of channel recruitment firm Roberston Sumner.

Data from the company shows job vacancies in the channel have hit their highest level in 18 months following a significant drop during 2020 caused by the pandemic.

Managing director Marc Sumner believes the industry is starting to move past the impact of COVID-19, with companies beginning to implement previously delayed plans for expansion which is creating a host of new opportunities.

"COVID is almost like a thing of the past now," he said.

"It's been a good Q1 for hiring but now it's actually surpassed pre-COVID levels, which I didn't think we'd see for another three or four months.

"I think the IT sector has waited a long time for expansion. I think most people had expansion plans in 2020 for new teams, new offices and that sort of thing.

"It's really picked up since January. There's been an enormous tsunami of vacancies registered with companies wanting tech sales and marketing people in the channel to fuel the growth.

"I think there's going to be lots of companies out there that are going to have record years now. There's no halting this train at the moment. It's still really, really moving forward."

Research from KPMG recently found that the tech sector job market was growing at its fastest pace for two years, with output growth projections at their highest for seven years.

But despite the increase in available jobs and positive projections, concerns have been raised over the continued stagnation in applications for those positions.

"I think there's still a bit of apprehension in the market," Sumner added.

"Applications have been quite stagnant and there will still be a war for talent.

"Good people are still really, really hard to find and they're almost getting fussier because they know they are in demand, but the number of vacancies is on the rise. There's a real gulf and a gap.

"I think it will continue for the rest of the year, until there's an appetite from channel companies to look at talent from outside the industry."

Sumner believes this to be vital if the channel is to close the gap between talent and vacancies, calling for companies to show more of a willingness to look outside of their own industry.

That includes sectors such as travel, hospitality, insurance and finance, who he says have lots of candidates interested in moving into the technology industry.

"Every channel firm I'm hearing now is talking about new offices or new teams or new management structures, loads and loads of exciting plans. But I'm still struggling to get that talent into the business.

"It's a bit of a closed shop sometimes, which is a real shame, but I think if companies are a bit more open and are looking at successful talent that could train into a different industry then hopefully the talent shortages will be a thing of the past.

"There's no doubt that people really want to come into tech now. There's loads of people out there with transferable skills that want to come into the industry."

But despite these concerns, Sumner remains hugely optimistic about the future of the channel.

"The war for talent is still a struggle but that can only be a positive sign that companies have still got an appetite to fuel growth in 2021.

"I think it's going to be a bonanza year for the IT channel, I really do.

"The candidates are going to be the winners in this. Salaries will be on the rise, demand for skills will be on the rise. It's going to be a buoyant market for candidates looking to move in 2021."