Concerns over ‘brain drain’ in IT as application levels tumble

Job applications have tumbled in the IT sector, raising concerns over further skills gaps increases, according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

The data – provided by the world’s largest network of job boards, Broadbean Technology – revealed that the rate of Applications Per Vacancy (APV) have fallen consistently since August 2023, when IT jobs reported an APV of 82.91. By December this had dropped to 59.19. The number of people applyying for contractor IT jobs also fell from 130.01 in September to 96.55 by the end of the year.

While vacancies also decreased – with permanent and contract roles down (44% and 38% respectively) month-on-month in December – this fall in APV rates indicates that fewer experts are looking for new jobs in an already skill short sector.

Ann Swain, Global CEO of APSCo, commented:

We’ve already heard rumours of further tech layoffs at some of the big players including Amazon, so the downward trend in vacancies reported towards the end of last year is unsurprising. However, this data isn’t reflective of a recruitment market that is in dire states. Demand for IT professionals is still being influenced by skills shortages, which makes the decline in applications we’re seeing a concern. With fewer jobs to apply for, we would expect to see applications remain stable, but they have plummeted. The shortage of available talent is further evidenced in the APV rates which again, we would expect to see increase when jobs fall. Clearly the talent tech crisis is far from over.