The Australian IT employment market has been claimed to be at its strongest ever, and is expected to strengthen further over the next 12 months, according to Chris Le Coic, CEO of Australian online employment portal CareersSites.
Thinking about your next career step? Well, one big trend that’s affecting certified and non-certified positions is that many large companies are getting around to deploying new technology again; something that had put on the back burner as they focused on complying with rules stemming from recent US legislation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
The Australian IT job market will be fruitful this year with telecommunications engineers particularly sought after, recruiters say. While demand will outstrip supply, “opening the floodgates” to candidates from outside Australia isn’t the answer, some recruiters say.
Despite a fourth-quarter surge in job cuts in the telecommunications sector, high-tech job cuts declined last year to 228,325. That figure was 51% lower than the 468,161 cuts announced in 2002 by technology companies, which include computer, telecommunications, electronics and e-commerce firms, according to Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Statistics New Zealand says the number of IT professionals employed in New Zealand has more than doubled since 1997 while in the US figures show half a million IT staff were laid off last year.