Service Providers of the Information Society - Twenty Percent of Firms Expect Continuing Skilled Worker Shortage in 2011

The economy has just recovered from the economic crisis, and already the public debate about skilled worker shortage is continuing. Many firms claim they are not able to fill vacancies with sufficiently qualified professionals. In the economic sector service providers of the information society, around 24 percent of companies report that they were not able to fill vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2010 due to the lack of skilled professionals. For the year 2011 the service providers of the information society expect the skilled worker shortage to continue though on a slightly lower level. This is the finding of a survey among the service providers of the information society, conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim in cooperation with Creditreform, Neuss in December 2010 (see details at end of press release).

The economic sector service providers of the information society consists of ICT service providers, i.e. software businesses, IT services, ICT specialised trade and telecommunication services, as well as knowledge intensive service providers, including tax consultants, accountants, management consultants, architects, technical consultants and planners, research and development as well as advertising companies.

The skilled worker shortage affects the ICT service providers (31 percent) more than the knowledge intensive service providers (22 percent). "In particular, technical consultants and planners as well as telecommunication services are affected," says Miruna Sarbu, ZEW researcher. "Of these 36 percent and 33 percent, respectively, had difficulties in filling job vacancies with skilled professionals in the fourth quarter of 2010", Sarbu observes. By comparison, advertising companies are hardly affected by the skilled worker shortage as much. Only 11 percent were not able to fill vacancies in the final quarter of the year 2010.

The lack of skilled professionals will still be an issue for the service providers of the information society in 2011. However, the companies in this sector are not as pessimistic with regard to this shortage as in the fourth quarter of 2010. Some 20 percent expect the skilled worker shortage to continue in 2011. Again, more ICT service providers than knowledge intensive service providers expect difficulties in filling job vacancies with qualified professionals in 2011 (27 percent and 18 percent, respectively). Especially telecommunication services and companies in the sector research and development are affected. A total of 37 percent and 35 percent of these companies, respectively, i.e. considerably more companies than in the fourth quarter of 2010, expect a skilled worker shortage in 2011. In contrast, only nine percent of management consultants expect difficulties in finding qualified professionals for their vacancies.

For further information please contact

Miruna Sarbu, Phone +49 621/1235-334, E-mail sarbu@zew.de

The economic survey conducted by ZEW/Creditreform

About 900 companies participate in the quarterly survey. The economic sector service providers of the information society consists of information and communication technology (ICT) service providers (businesses of the branches software and IT services, ICT specialised trade and telecommunication services) and knowledge intensive service providers (businesses of the branches tax consultancy and accounting, business consultancy, architectural offices, technical consultancy and planning, research and development and advertising). An overview of the ZEW/Creditreform economy survey is available online at www.zew.de/dienstleister

Comment on the projection

To ensure the representativity of the analyses, the ZEW projects the answers of the survey participants with the turnover value of the businesses with regard to the entire economic branch.