Gartner is warning of a worldwide shortage in IT personnel as the coming generation shun the industry because of a perceived lack of glamour and a reputation for hard work.

The analyst firm claimed that the current shortage is different from the skills gap that emerged in the dotcom era, as it affects all areas of the IT industry and not just specific technical skills.

"This is a devastating skills shortage at a time when there is a surge in the number of projects that are required from IT," said Andy Kyte, vice president and Gartner Fellow.

"I keep meeting CIOs who say they will be running resource-constrained projects in 2008, not from the budget but from the lack of the right people."

Some have suggested that outsourcing is the way forward, but even this faces major problems as the IT skills shortage is also affecting developing countries and shows no sign of abating.

Gartner also said that IT workers need to add non-technical skills to their CVs to operate efficiently in today's business environment. This holds true for all levels of the industry.

"What constitutes 'qualified people' will change," said Diane Morello, vice president and Gartner Fellow.

"The intersection of business models and IT requires people with varied experience, professional versatility, multidiscipline knowledge and technology understanding. A hybrid professional, in other words."