40pc of Irish tech professionals plan to recruit over next year

10 Nov 2009

More than half of Irish technology professionals believe the worst of the global downturn is over and the vast majority (83pc) believe the technology sector will play a significant role in the recovery of the economy.

Nearly half of the firms believe that opportunities for growth are increasing and 40pc plan to recruit IT and other technical staff in the next 12 months, according to the survey of IT professionals in the run up to the it@Cork Technology in Business Conference on 18 November.

Some 46pc of IT professionals describe their business as currently stable.

Attitude optimistic

The survey revealed an optimistic attitude towards the global downturn, with 72pc of respondents convinced that we are over the worst or near the end of the downturn. Some 83pc of respondents also believed that the technology sector had a significant role to play in the recovery of the economy.

Respondents identified the technology sector’s ability to enable other sectors to become more productive and cost effective as a key role in the recovery of the economy, especially with the current emphasis on reducing costs and increasing competitiveness.

Also identified were the areas of technology usage to support business decisions and processes; green and clean technology and the generation of innovative and new technologies in general.

Show of confidence

Some 48pc of respondents thought that the opportunities for growth in the IT Industry were increasing with 46pc thinking they were stable. This confidence was reflected in the 40pc who planned to recruit IT or technical staff in the next 12 months.

The key areas identified as having opportunities for growth were: green technology; cloud computing; virtualisation; mobile phone applications; data warehousing/data centres; and selling online.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Recovery Through Technology’. Liam Casey of PCH International, known as ‘Mr China’, will open the conference with ‘New Opportunities in the Global Economy’.

Casey was one of the speakers at the recent Global Economic Forum in Farmleigh. This year’s Ernst & Young’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, Mike Fitzgerald of Altobridge, will discuss ‘How to Create an International Success from Ireland’.

Other topics to be covered include: cloud computing; innovative products; competitiveness; and raising financial capital.

By John Kennedy

Photo: it@cork chairman Tom Moore and Alison Reilly, it@cork. The ‘Recovery Through Technology’ conference takes place 18 November at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Little Island, Cork.

Photo by Ger McCarthy

 

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com