The Society for Information Management Releases Results of Study: The Information Technology Workforce: Trends and Implications 2005-2008

Business Wire, March 27, 2006

CHICAGO -- It is a great time to be an IT professional, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Society for Information Management (SIM). Most of the companies responding to SIM's study, The Information Technology Workforce: Trends and Implications 2005-2008, indicated that they will increase the number of full-time IT staff they employ by 2008.

Global IT sourcing, the shift from IT services to business process services, pending baby-boomer retirements, and declining IT enrollments in U.S. and European universities are prompting fundamental changes in the nature of IT skills and capabilities available to and desired by both vendor and client organizations. Gaining a better understanding of these influencers and how to best address these concerns are what led to the development of the SIM-sponsored study.

In addition to looking at the hiring strategies for IT, the report also looked at the skills sets that will be top of mind for employers through 2008. The responses varied depending on the size of the responding organization, but one thing was clear: IT professionals need to acquire more knowledge of the business side of IT in order to advance their careers.

Technical aptitude will always be a pre-requisite for entry into the IT profession, but business skills account for five of the top 10 critical skills that organizations will require for their in-house staffs over the next three years. The other five are represented by project management and technical (but client-facing) skills.

Other key findings from the report include:

--Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) anticipate greater increases in internal full-time employees (FTEs) than larger organizations.

--All organizations expect greater use of third-party providers. SMEs expect no use of FTEs located offshore by 2008. This contrasts with larger organizations which anticipate an increasing use of domestic third-party providers, more specifically, those providers with FTEs at offshore locations.

--The overall use of independent contractors is expected to remain relatively unchanged; however, use among SME organizations is expected to increase from 2005 to 2008.

The report concludes: "The value of the IT workforce to help organizations survive and excel calls for thoughtful planning and investment. This research indicates some significant structural changes to IT departments and role of IT professionals in organizations that senior management needs to take into account to groom and retain the best human capital."

The Executive Summary of the research provides an overview of the research results and fascinating insight into the workforce trends that will impact the IT industry over the next several years. You can view this Executive Summary as well as a full report of the research methodology and results by visiting the SIM Web site, www.simnet.org.

Established in 1968, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is the premier network for IT leaders comprised of over 3,000 members including CIOs, senior IT executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other IT leaders. SIM is a community of thought leaders who share experiences and apply rich intellectual capital, and who explore future IT direction. Through its 32 chapters, SIM provides resources and programs inspired by IT leaders for IT leaders that enable CIOs to further develop the leadership capabilities of themselves and the key and emerging leaders in their organizations. SIM provides the collective voice to advocate policy and legislation on behalf of the IT profession across industries.