2003 IT jobs boost – survey

Across Australia, more than 27 percent of IT employers expect to hire new staff, the TMP Worldwide Job Index found, with about 65 percent planning to keep staff numbers the same.

Just 7 percent of IT employers said they would reduce IT numbers next quarter. The resulting net effect of 20 percent gives the IT industry a more positive outlook than the national average that was recorded across all industries.

This is up from about 12 percent for the same period a year ago.

TMP asked 5,800 employers to state their hiring intentions for the coming quarter. It found that 9.6 percent of all expected job opportunities in the coming quarter – and just 3.8 per cent of job losses – were expected to occur within IT roles. Overall the IT sector reports a positive net effect of 5.8 percent, second only to accounting and finance

Queensland's IT industry employment prospects look particularly positive, with the Minister for Innovation and Information Economy, Paul Lucas, taking the opportunity to claim victory for the Beattie government. The survey showed Queensland employers are even more bullish than the rest of the country.

More than 45.5 percent of Queensland employers expect to increase employment numbers in the next quarter, and only 9 percent have plans to downsize. The resulting net effect of 36 percent is more than 16 percent above the national average for the industry.

“In Queensland, we have around 1,728 ICT businesses employing more than 40,000 Queenslanders,” Lucas said. “More than 70 percent of these businesses are locally owned.”

“The industry is an important provider of jobs, export revenue and business opportunities,” he said.

“This is great news for the ICT industry in the Smart State.”