The IT market will start recovering at a slow pace during 2010, predict industry experts. IT spend in Africa is expected to be about $21 billion a year, of which 11.5% will come from SA - an indicator that recovery is in progress.
Karen Geldenhuys, MD of ICT-focused staffing agency, Abacus Recruitment, says the upturn may translate into increased job vacancies for both full-time workers and contractors.
According to Geldenhuys, the global recession had a huge impact on the IT market during 2009. “We did see the IT recruitment market starting to recover during the third and fourth quarter last year, but this was off what appeared to be really bad first six months.
“But, while we will see an upturn, I don't think there will be much job-hopping during the next six months, with IT workers holding onto their jobs as we emerge from a crippling recession,” she adds.
Global management consulting firm Hay Group says the fact that IT operating budgets are stabilising means the end of a very rough period for IT business. However, the firm believes IT staffing levels will remain the same in 2010 as they are now.
The firm carried out a survey which addressed IT business and human resource planning issues for 2010. It revealed that 69% of CIOs said their staffing levels will be unchanged in 2010, indicating a 'bottoming out' of staff reductions in IT.
“A key human resource challenge for CIOs is the attraction and retention of top talent. Even in the current economy, finding and keeping the best is still a challenge,” says Hay Group.
The IDC believes the sharing of best practices between IT leaders, business executives, and expert analysts will be necessary for the industry to move forward.
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