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Blackberry phenomenon pushes pay for IT staff

by The Editor at 09:41 30/08/07 (News)
Demand for content for Blackberries and other 3G wireless devices has pushed pay for IT contractors in the telecoms sector up 16 per cent in the last 12 months, according to research from SkillsMarket/Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo).
The report says that hourly rates for IT contractors working in the telecoms sector have jumped from £37 to £43, the fastest yearly rise since the telecoms collapse of 2000.


Ann Swain
According to agency body, ATSCo, recruiters are struggling to meet high demand for software engineers experienced in working with platforms designed for mobile wireless devices, such as Windows Mobile, and further pressure on pay is predicted with the launch of the Apple iPhone later this year.

Ann Swain, Chief Executive, ATSCo, said: "The telecoms sector was one of the hardest hit by the technology collapse in 2000 but over the last year utilisation of IT staff in the mobile and wireless areas has surged ahead.

"The Blackberry phenomenon is generating huge demand for software developed for business mobile devices. The Apple iPhone could do the same for the consumer market as software developers look to build iPhone compatibility into their forthcoming releases."

Developers
According to ATSCo, recruiters are reporting strong demand for developers skilled in wireless technologies, such as .mobi and Bluetooth. The .mobi authoring tools allow websites to be specifically tailored for mobile devices, so that websites will increasingly have .mobi as well as .com or .co.uk suffixes.

Ms Swain said:"The iPhone is likely to lead to significant rate increases for software developers skilled in creating websites optimized for 3G devices. Most websites currently cannot be viewed on wireless devices, but the iPhone is likely to kick-start the process of developing mobile-specific web content in earnest."

Alex Charles, Director of SkillsMarket, which produced the research for ATSCo, said: "The popularity of social networking sites has boosted demand for mobile internet, particularly among younger consumers. One mobile operator has already put demand for its mobile internet package down to consumers wanting to access these sites away from their desks. This has been heightened by the fact that many companies now block access to such sites on their corporate networks."

According to ATSCo, demand for IT professionals skilled in middleware technologies (software which enables wireless devices to communicate with desktop machines) is rising as individuals and businesses rely more on hand-held computers and wireless networks, and it becomes necessary to integrate current computer systems with mobile technology.

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Susie Hughes
The Editor © AgencyEye 2007

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