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There is no better time to be getting into IT as job markets continue to grow in Ireland and globally.

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs released their latest report on the ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) Sector under the press release title:
"Strong Future and Opportunities for ICT Sector in Ireland"

The ICT sector will continue to provide job and growth opportunities for the Irish economy and workforce according to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which launched its latest report on 23 June 2008, Future Requirement for High-Level ICT Skills in the ICT Sector.

Findings

• The Irish ICT industry has largely recovered from the global downturn experienced in 2001 and that there now is a substantial shift in the skills mix and levels.
• Projected demand for ICT skills is set to exceed domestic supply. Industry has also identified issues relating to the supply of people with high levels of technical skills due in part to the lower numbers of high performing school leavers choosing to study in computing and electronic engineering disciplines.
• A greater share of all ICT employment is now accounted for by people with high-level skills, with lower skills jobs being replaced by those with requirements for strong technical, computing and engineering based skills.
• Graduate numbers in computing and electronic engineering have declined from a peak in 2002 although overall the intake into these courses appears to have stabilised. The numbers entering computing courses have seen a small increase and the number of PhD graduates in computing and electronic engineering is expected to increase significantly over the coming years.
• Inward migration will continue to be an important source of ICT skills into the future. Ireland is seen as a location to which experienced talent can be attracted from all over Europe.

For more information and to see the full report:
http://www.skillsireland.ie/press/releases/2008-06-23-future_ict_skills.html

JULY 2008 - Global IT Leader to Invest €20M in R&D at its Campus in Ovens, Co Cork:
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD today (Thursday, 24th July 2008) announced that EMC Corporation will invest €20m in research and development activities over the next five years, creating up to 50 new engineering positions at its campus in Ovens, Co Cork with the support of IDA Ireland. The R&D investment and related new engineering positions will initially focus on software development for EMC's industry-leading storage systems and resource management software products.
http://www.idaireland.com/home/news.aspx?id=9&content_id=905

JUNE 2008 - Business Objects - unit of German software company SAP - to invest €9 million in establishing a R&D Centre in Dublin:
The 100 new "high quality" positions created by this investment will be for graduates and experienced personnel in computer programming disciplines ranging from Program Managers and IT Architects through to Developers and Software Testers. The engineers will be proficient in computer programming languages, specifically Java, XML, Eclipse and Flex Technologies.
For more information:
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1013940.shtml

JUNE 2008 - Duolog Technologies says it will grow its revenues by 50% to $15 million in 2009
Ray Bulger, co-founder and CEO, Duolog Technologies said, "We are extremely pleased with the excitement and interest generated by our premiere at DAC and the awards we received, including recognition as a trendsetter for our Spinner tool and our product demonstrations." He added, "With this exciting debut on the global stage, Duolog is now prepared to grow beyond Europe and Ireland and we will focus on introducing our products and supporting new customers firstly in the US and then in Japan, the major global markets for EDA software and complex IC design." He concluded, "We expect to increase our staff numbers by 10 to 15 percent to support our worldwide growth."
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1013952.shtml

MARCH 2008 - IBM to establish Europe's first Cloud Computing Centre in Mulhuddart, West Dublin and create 21 new jobs
For more information:
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1012935.shtml

JANUARY 2008 - ICT Ireland Press Release - Shortage of high-tech graduates an opportunity for students

In advance of the CAO deadline on 1 February, ICT Ireland, the IBEC group that represents high-tech employers, today said that while the shortage of graduates capable of filling positions in the sector remains a worry for industry, it creates huge opportunities for students to forge a lucrative and rewarding career.

ICT Ireland Director Kathryn Raleigh said: "At a time when the high-tech sector is increasing in importance and offering more employment opportunities, Ireland still faces a severe shortage of people with the right computer and engineering skills.

Graduate salaries in the sector are very attractive. According to the HEA graduate survey, 16.5% of graduates with engineering degrees now earn €33,000 or more. When compared to 3.6% of law graduates and 5.8% of commerce graduates in the same salary band, it is clear that graduates with an engineering degree can command higher starting salaries than most.

A degree in a technical discipline offers a wide range of career opportunities. Within the technology sector there is an enormous variety, ranging from highly technical roles in design and development, to roles in sales and marketing," said Ms Raleigh.

"If you like to question, explore, invent, discover and create, then a profession in the technology sector could be the ideal profession for you," she said.

A recent report by IDC, a world-renowned consultancy, highlighted the increasing importance of technology in the global economy IT employment is set to grow by 4.7% by 2011.

For the full press release, see here.

And not just Ireland either the US are still keenly touting the benefits of studying IT and computing in their article: Technology: It's Where the Jobs Are.

The recent article (June 2008) talks of how a new survey shows growth across the country, with higher-than-average pay. And with the number of tech grads falling, demand will only rise.

It continues: "The AeA's [American Electronics Association] findings jibe with what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says on the subject of technology jobs: More than 850,000 IT jobs will be added during the 10-year period ending in 2016, which would be a rise of 24%. Add all the jobs that will replace retiring workers, and the total increase could be a tidy 1.6 million. That means one job in every 19 created over the course of the next decade will be in technology.

And while demand for tech-savvy employees is certainly multiplying, another survey, this one from the Computing Research Assn. and released in March, found a 20% drop in the number of students completing degrees in computer-related fields, and the number of students enrolling in these programs is the lowest it's been in 10 years, as far back as the data goes.

What does all this mean? There's still a labor shortage in tech. And if you took Economics 101, you know that's good news for paychecks. Already, tech wages are 87% higher, on average, than in the rest of the private-sector job market. Tech wages are also growing faster, by an average of 4% a year double the 2% reported for private industry as a whole. And in Austin, San Diego, and Sacramento, Calif., tech salaries tend to be twice what they are for private-sector jobs generally.

See here for more information.