300,000 shortfall for digital jobs

The digital industry will need to find nearly 300,000 new recruits by 2020 for the £69bn sector to reach its full potential, according to a report which says a lack of skills threatens to hamper economic growth.
The Technology and Skills in the Digital Industries report, published by e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for business and information technology and funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, says employment growth in the sector has risen by an average rate of 5.5% between 2009 and 2012.
It claims a raft of new roles – such as data architects, as well as big data and security specialists – will be created in the future which require deeper and more specialised technological skills.
Yet nearly a fifth of all vacancies are already difficult to fill due to a dearth of experienced candidates. Qualification levels in the digital sector have been on the rise since 2002, yet last year computing graduates had the highest unemployment rate six months after leaving university.
Rachel Pinto, research manager at UKCES, said: “Much of the [£69bn] value of the sector is through the technology that specialists develop and the services they provide. It is also one of the most productive sectors with a growth rate since the recession three times above average.”
But she added: “Employers need to play an active role in training the next generation of tech specialists.”
Earlier this month, it was claimed that up to 750,000 jobs could be created in the next five years to fuel the UK’s “burgeoning” digital economy, but Britain’s youngsters could miss out unless employers give them a chance.