Displaying items by tag: Clarius

Offshoring has decimated the local ICT jobs market. Australia now has a large and increasing oversupply of ICT professionals, not a skills shortage as widely touted over recent years, according to a new report.

By the end of last year Australia had around 700 too many ICT managers, and 2,700 too few ICT professionals. It's the classic case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

Listed recruitment firm Clarius Group has issued a warning to the Australian Stock Exchange that its net profit after tax for the six months to the end of 2011 will fall in the range $1.2-1.4 million, well down on the previous comparable period profit of $2.4 million. The sharemarket didn't like the news one iota.

It now seems safe to state categorically that courtesy of the economy and tumbling business confidence Australia's IT skills shortage is well and truly over and will stay so for the remainder of 2011 and well into the first quarter of 2012.

IT recruitment business Candle has announced the first of what is expected to grow into a network of South East Asian branches, with the opening of an office in Hong Kong. Initially intended to service existing clients in Australia looking for people for their Asian operations, the office will ultimately act as a conduit for Asian contractors wishing to work in Australia.

Jittery business sentiment is leading to an increase in demand for contract IT staff, as companies continue to shy away from increasing their permanent headcount, prompting 'ridiculous' fee spikes of up to 30 per cent in some areas of the IT skills market.

Demand for IT staff edged back into skills shortage territory during the March quarter as big bank projects and the NBN slow burn mopped up any excess capacity.

IT recruiters have spent the first few weeks of the year spruiking IT skills shortages, and employers will be among the first to feel the effect. A survey released today by workforce specialist Chandler McLeod suggests that IT professionals now believe they can earn $175,000 a year as a result of the perceived shortages.

Recruitment company Candle has again called on the Government to revise the rules governing 457 visas, in order to allow recruitment companies to bring in skilled people from overseas, and bench them until a suitable position can be found. Only then will major IT projects such as the NBN, e-health initiatives and banking revamps be able to access skills when and where they need them.

The long anticipated IT skills shortage has re-emerged with a shortfall of 2,800 people recorded in the September Clarius Skills Index and signs that salaries have started to rise - in some cases by up to 20 per cent.

Recruitment business Candle has kicked off its brand refresh which general manager Linda Trevor promised when she joined the firm 10 weeks ago, as it strives to reclaim the number one IT recruitment slot.

Clarius Group has appointed Linda Trevor as the new Executive General Manager of Candle ICT, the technology arm of the listed recruitment firm. Ms Trevor takes up the position formerly held by David Stewart, who unexpectedly left Candle in February after just 18 months in the role.