Research from Cambridge university shows that the IT industry is heading for major skill shortages unless it starts recruiting more females, and retaining older workers.



Over half of all IT employees are under 35 and more than 80 per cent are under 45. To put the figure in some context, only 48 per cent of IT workers in the Netherlands are under 35 and in Germany the figure is lower still at 41 per cent.



The problem stems from the UK’s ageing population. If the current recruitment trend continues, business will struggle to find enough IT recruits because there are fewer young people and the average age of the population is rising.



Senior research associate at the University of Cambridge Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing, Dr Kerry Platman, said:



“If it not able to address workforce ageing issues, it risks losing a lot of talent that has invested years in the industry. The risk is that companies will experience skills shortages. Nobody wins if you sidestep the issues.”



It (almost) goes without the saying that the vast majority who make up the IT industry are male, with women forming a paltry 12 per cent of the workforce. The sector has always struggled to attract female graduates which does much to contribute to its’ ‘image problem’.



However, in terms of helping themselves in both instances – gender and age – Platman accuses the sector of doing itself no favours. For a career that is, by necessity, at the cutting edge of technology and forward thinking in most instances, it remains highly inflexible when it comes to working practices. This is something it must look at if they hope to retain female and older employees.



“People in their 50s want to start downshifting.” If the industry is so heavily full-time orientated, that makes it hard for them to get back in,” according to Platman.



“They argue for the development of human resource practices which attract and nurture talent from a much broader pool of labour? However, employers appear to have few incentives to introduce such innovative measures.”