IT recruiters upbeat about 2012 jobs outlook, says REC

IT recruiters are "relatively upbeat" about the jobs outlook in 2012 according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

The feedback comes from the REC's technology sector group and supports the findings of this month's REC and KPMG jobs report, which showed a rise in demand for both permanent and contracted IT staff.

The report showed that demand for system developers and project managers was still high, however it also said that recruiters and employers are both concerned at the lack of suitable candidates for specific roles.

REC says it will be working closely with skills body e-Skills UK to come up with schemes that address the IT skills gap.

Chairman of the REC, Jeff Brooks, said: "I was pleased to hear from many of our members that they are looking forward to 2012 with confidence in the IT jobs market."

In October, Brooks told Computing that companies needed to be less picky when choosing IT candidates in order to begin plugging the skills gap.