Currently in Ireland there are in excess of 2,500 unfilled jobs in the ICT and gaming industries, a cloud computing forum heard today.
This was the stark figure announced during Part Two of the CloudArena Trilogy ‘It’s CRM Jim, But Not As We Know It’, which took place today at the National College of Ireland, featuring keynote speakers from Microsoft, Fujitsu and IBM.
“The NCI have just launched their Springboard Programme, which addresses the lack of expertise available in this country in cloud-based technologies,” said David Feenan of CloudArena.
“The CloudArena Trilogy of events aims to bring people together to discuss the rapidly evolving technology of cloud computing.”
“As was published in the Fine Gael Plan for Government, cloud computing has been highlighted as a potential pillar of growth for the Irish technology industry – we need to exploit this opportunity,” Feenan said.
There has been growing concern at the rising skills shortage in the ICT sector, a situation exacerbated by the low number of students opting for technology courses at third level. The number of students attending these courses has not recovered since 2000.
The reason for this has been Ireland’s over-the-top reaction to the dot.com downturn of 11 years ago and the subsequent property bubble that steered students into professions such as law, retail and property, where jobs are as rare as hen’s teeth.
75pc of Irish ICT employers have job vacancies
At a recent Intel Forum on Education, the CEO of Fujitsu Ireland Regina Moran, said 75pc of ICT employers in Ireland have job vacancies.
Moran said IT employment in Ireland was up 6pc year-on-year, at a time when high unemployment is of high concern.
“The ICT industry in Ireland has 74,000 people employed with a further 200,000 supporting the sector, representing huge value to the country.
“But 75pc have vacancies and more than 50pc have at least 20 vacancies.”
Moran said it was a huge problem for the industry in that the skills shortage means firms are competing against one another for suitably qualified graduates.
