As BT announces plans to introduce a high-speed internet network in Northern Ireland by 2012, new research shows that fully exploiting technology can drive job creation, growth and productivity across the whole economy.

The e-Skills UK report highlights the vital role the technology sector has to play in creating new employment opportunities and underpinning economic recovery.

The research, ‘Technology Insights 2011’, shows that despite the recent recession and ongoing high levels of unemployment, demand for IT professionals in Northern Ireland has increased over the last year, with 16,000 people currently employed in the IT & Telecoms professional workforce – representing just over 2% of total employment. 60% of these IT & Telecoms professionals are employed in the IT & Telecoms industry itself, while the remainder are spread across every other sector of the economy.

And the report shows that this demand is set to continue apace. Employment in the IT industry over the next decade is forecast to grow at an impressive 3.17% per annum, nine times faster than the Northern Ireland average, with over nine thousand new IT & Telecoms professionals needed over the next five years. This year alone, the IT & Telecoms professional workforce will require over 1,800 new entrants to keep up with demand. Almost half of these will be individuals employed in other occupations moving into IT & Telecoms, while 16% will need to come directly from education. The remainder will be drawn from other sources such as those re-entering the workforce after a career break, or from a period of unemployment.

The report also demonstrates that technology is the most powerful lever Northern Ireland can employ to drive growth and innovation across the whole economy. Technology is at the heart of every sector, underpinning the economic contributions of almost every business and the majority of future job creation. Whilst the IT & Telecoms industry alone already contributes in excess of £0.8 billion per annum to the economy, 1.4% of Gross Value Added, ‘Technology Insights’ finds that by exploiting the full potential of technology, the rest of the Northern Ireland economy could also be boosted by an additional £0.7 billion over the next 5 to 7 years.

But alongside this, the research identifies some worrying trends. The proportion of IT & Telecoms professionals under 30 in the UK as a whole has declined from 33% in 2001 to only 19% in 2010, as the sector increasingly favours experienced workers from other sectors over young recruits from the education system. At the same time, the proportion of those over 50 has almost doubled to 17%. The research also shows that gender remains a significant issue with women making up just 22% of the IT & Telecoms professional workforce in Northern Ireland.