Job vacancies in the IT sector rose by 14 per cent to 9,200 in the last seven months, leaving two-thirds of jobs in computing to be filled from abroad, according to new research by Dublin City University.
Over 60 per cent of new IT jobs will have to be filled by highly skilled immigrants, the IT jobs survey claims. Prof Michael Ryan of DCU said bad publicity associated with the dot.com collapse was still blinding students and their advisers to the reality of the Irish software scene.
"They don't realise that the industry has recorded substantial growth in turnover and exports in every year since 1991, and is a world leader, with over 900 firms and exports of €16 billion, roughly 20 per cent of all Irish exports," said Prof Ryan.
The main reason for lack of student interest in the sector was lack of understanding of what computing involves, and the value of an education with computing as a central theme. The DCU IT survey of May 2005 found 8,100 vacancies in the sector and prompted concern about a shortage of Irish graduates to fill these jobs. The Government has warned that the economy could suffer from the shortfall in numbers taking up science and technology as a career.
"In 2002 and 2003, although exports and turnover increased significantly, there was a decline in the numbers employed as companies that had hired 'ahead of the curve' let people go, but this correction is now behind us and numbers employed are on the way up once more," said Prof Ryan.
Previously, a government expert skills group predicted a shortfall of 1,217 to 2,313 in the supply of graduates in 2010, but this gap is likely to be significantly larger.
Instead, vacancies would be filled by graduates from abroad with special Government initiatives to aid work permits for newcomers to the sector, said Prof Ryan.