Careers in IT

Industry Trends (demand of IT)

The IT market continued apace and the optimism reported last year produced a buoyant recruitment market with increased vacancy activity. Growth was across all IT sectors as companies invested heavily in their IT capabilities, both on a project and non-project basis. However the skills shortage is impacting the market and the number of large, enterprise-wide projects have reduced the pool of available candidates further. There has also been a continuing shift for IT to enhance the overall customer experience and many changes reflect this. The requirement for all IT staff, from CIO to juniors, to understand business drivers has also grown as projects are now increasingly ‘owned’ by the business. This is a major shift which requires candidates with a business focus. Consequently, more non-IT staff are working within technology areas to translate business requirements effectively. This has also impacted recruitment requirements, with not just business savvy but industry knowledge important to employers. The past 12 months has seen a definite increase in contract requirements, but not to the extent originally anticipated. Contract recruitment has become more considered and planned, while many businesses are hiring contractors with the intention of making them permanent.

Jobs in IT

Information Technology (IT) represents one of the most exciting areas of employment for new graduates, with many graduates finding work as computing professionals in the finance, property and business services sector.

The IT sector has been one of the fastest-growing areas of the Australian economy. Since the internet began to open up to commercial and individual usage in 1994, its traffic and its applications have grown exponentially. In the process, computers have become an essential item in nearly all businesses and, increasingly, in the home.

The range of occupational pathways in IT continues as technology penetrates more and more aspects of daily life. Common areas of work for IT graduates include software engineering programming, systems analysis, multimedia developers and administration and general IT managers.

While the industry has been male-dominated in the past, this trend is changing. The industry is a growing one and experiencing shortages in qualified graduates. Over 20% of employers in Australia and New Zealand who responded to the 2006 Graduate Outlook Survey had experienced trouble sourcing IT graduates in 2005. 

Last reviewed: 11 July, 2007