UK IT market is in danger of losing a huge portion of its workforce to overseas rivals as companies fail to evoke staff loyalty.
Almost two-thirds (66 per cent) of IT staff are looking for employment opportunities outside the UK, according to a survey of 4,967 UK professionals by recruitment firm Computer People.
In the UK, staff with Cobol skills attracted the best rates of pay, earning an annual average salary of £41,870.
Cisco skills were at the bottom of the scale, with employees earning an average of £32,320 per year.
This compares with the overall, full-time sector average of £35,160. Across the industry, the single largest pay bracket is £40,000 to £50,000, with 15 per cent of IT staff remunerated at that level.
It is nice (but surprising) to hear that Cobol skills still carries a good price in the UK. Sadly, this may not be true in Northern Ireland. I am already a mainframe technical specialist but I don’t earn anywhere near the average.