IT skills shortage in UK has ended

The list enables employers to apply for work permits for non-EU staff using a fast-track procedure eliminating the need to demonstrate that a recruitment search has failed to identify suitable UK or EU workers to fill the position.

During the Y2K and euro changeover, IT skills were in short supply at financial institutions as systems had to be upgraded to cope with the date change and new currency. The downturn on financial markets has led to firms cutting costs to protect shrinking margins and many IT projects, slated for implementation post Y2K and euro, have been postponed.

The government's decision follows lobbying by the Professional Contractors Group, a representative group of UK IT workers, which argued that local IT workers possessing the IT skills on the list were no longer in short supply.

Employers will be able to apply for work permits for IT professionals, but they will have to use the normal procedure, which involves advertising the position no more than six months and no less than four weeks prior to making the application. The application must contain details of those candidates that replied and the reasons for their unsuitability. Applications will also have to be accompanied by proof of qualifications and work experience, which are not required under the fast-track procedure.

The change is likely to affect thousands of employers across the UK. In 2000-1, more than 18,000 permits were issued to IT workers under the fast-track procedure. Employers will now have to ensure that recruitment advertising is planned in advance if it appears likely that they will not be able to source labour from the EU with the specific skills they require, in order that work permit applications may be made as soon as an overseas worker is identified.