12.05.14
Public sector IT jobs in recovery
UK public sector IT jobs have begun to recover, accounting for 11% of all new IT consultancy roles, research suggests.
Although jobs in this area have not yet returned to the pre-2010 peak where 30% of all new IT roles were in the public sector, there is now a steady upward trend being experienced. In 2012, the figure was just 5%.
Lisa Mangan, relationship manager at consultancy Procorre, which did the research, said: “The recovery in IT jobs in the public sector demonstrates how critically important IT is in delivering public services.”
Procorre expects that the recovery will continue as the government rolls out its 'digital by default' strategy, which aims to make all digital services straightforward and convenient so that more members of the public use digital services. The government also estimates that once its digital strategy is in place it could save up to £1.8bn a year.
Part of the plan is to move all government information onto one website – Gov.UK – and ensure that the 650 transactional services the government provides can be accessed and completed online.
Morgan added: “The digital by default strategy that the government has set out will require more IT consultants working on government contracts, so it is good news for contractors, particularly those who have the right skills and know how to gain access to the most attractive roles.
“Hiring in IT consultants provides employers with the flexibility of bringing in highly skilled professionals for a limited period to ensure the delivery of a project. In the future, we expect more public sector providers to use IT consultants in this way.”
At the end of April, the Cabinet Office revealed in its ‘digital strategy: quarterly progress report’ that more than half of its 320 agencies and arm’s length bodies (ALB) have transitioned their websites to Gov.UK.
It added: “By the end of July, we’ll have moved three quarters of the sites to Gov.UK, and then we’ll develop additional features (like new ‘finder’ tools) for the remaining sites.”
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