Job market stalled due to lack of interest

The absence of a new killer application and the insular mentality of candidates are as much to blame for a downturn in the IT recruitment market as the economy.

Russell Clements, deputy chief executive of Three S, the staffing company behind IT recruitment agencies including Computer Futures and Progressive, said there was nothing interesting happening in the market.

"The biggest enemy for recruitment isn't a lack of new jobs, it's a lack of churn," Clements said.

"That doesn't happen because there aren't new jobs to be had. We haven't had the equivalent of an NT - a sea change technology that drives recruitment. It also happens because the mentality of candidates becomes 'I'm doing OK so I'll stay where I am'."

Clements admitted that the current climate was potentially good news for employers who could, he said, afford to expect more from their staffing agencies.

"In a normal market, the power lies with the candidate. But now the balance of power has shifted back to the client, which means they can afford to be much more demanding."

But skills shortages are still a major issue across the sector, despite the sluggishness of the recruitment market, Clements warned.

"It's never a symmetrical situation between those being laid off and those skills in demand. It's common sense really - companies get rid of staff with the least in-demand skills."

He advised IT directors to plan ahead as much as possible for when the IT recruitment market picked up again. "Just as the ability to source staff has been pushed into the background temporarily, so it has the potential to come back quickly.

"A lot of employers want oven-ready people rather than to upskill existing staff. I'm not going to complain, but it's a very short-term mentality. There has to be an element of investing in your own organisation."