Staffing problems and a lack of skills in the existing workforce caused the biggest IT headaches last year, according to a worldwide survey of chief executives and chief information officers.

More than a third of those polled claimed that staff with inadequate skills are the biggest problem they face, while 58 per cent said that a lack of staff in general has been their biggest headache in the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, 48 per cent said that IT service delivery problems remained their second most common issue.

"Despite recent economic news and employee layoffs, we are seeing an increased demand for qualified IT professionals throughout the industry," said Lynn Lawton, international president of the IT Governance Institute.

"Without a well trained fully staffed IT department, many organisations around the world are needlessly sacrificing money, productivity and competitive advantage."

Lawton maintained that executives need to direct their IT for optimal advantage, reduce the related risks and measure the value provided by their technology.

The survey of 749 CEOs and CIOs in 23 countries was carried out by the non-profit IT Governance Institute.