1,000 tech jobs planned as sector bucks the slump

TECHNOLOGY firms plan to create more than 1,000 jobs in Scotland this year as the sector bounces back from the recession, according to a major survey.

A recovery in several parts of the industry, including e-marketing and software development, is fuelling demand for graduates in particular, according to the research from 9-20 Recruitment and technology trade body ScotlandIS.

While employment continues to rise in the wider economy, 63 per cent of technology firms north of the Border intend to take on more staff this year. This is expected to result in a 30 million boost to the Scots economy in 2010.

"While it isn't all sunshine and light, the sector as a whole has come out of the recession pretty well," said Polly Purvis, executive director of ScotlandIS, which represents 200 information and communication technology (ICT) businesses north of the Border.

"Last year everyone was being very cautious about employment forecasts and no-one at all was talking about bringing in graduates. Companies are now firmly back in the recruitment phase."

One in five tech firms expect to reopen their doors to graduates this year after many were forced to close their graduate recruitment schemes during the recession.

According to the survey, skills most in demand are sales and marketing, followed by software development and expertise.

Most businesses expect to make permanent appointments although demand for contract workers is also high. The majority of jobs created this year are likely to fall into the 23,000-35,000 pay category, the research shows.

Wendy McDougall, founder of 9-20 Recruitment which specialises in the tech sector, said the number of inquiries from firms seeking to take on staff has almost recovered to pre-recession levels in most parts of the sector.

"In general, around 85-90 per cent of business has already returned. We are getting back to pre-recruitment levels," said McDougall.

Purvis suggested technology firms have been able to bounce back faster than other parts of the economy due to the harsh lessons learnt during the dotcom crash – which marks its tenth anniversary this year. Lots of businesses, including Cisco, immediately introduced measures such as no travel policies during the recession.

ScotlandIS members include the Scottish branches of Cisco, BT, Dell, IBM and Microsoft.