The UK is facing a growing IT skills gap and by 2008 will be short of around 40,000 people with networking technology skills, according to a study published this week.
However the research, conducted by IDC and commissioned by networking giant Cisco, predicts that over that same period the UK will become top of the European league on IT skills, its current position is tenth.
Across Europe, the survey forecast a shortage of around 500,000 people with networking technology skills by 2008, which equivalent to a skills gap of 15.8%. The gap in the UK will be 9.2% by 2008.
Nick Watson, managing director for enterprise for Cisco in the UK & Ireland said that the UK's position at the top of the league was no cause for celebration.
"The position of the UK may look OK compared to Europe but it is very deceptive," he said. "The right skills are in short supply. The other countries, outside the EU, are already doing something this and this [report] is a wake-up call for us to act."
According to IDC, demand for IT skills will outstrip supply by more than 20% in one in three of the 31 countries they surveyed by 2008, with Eastern European countries facing the biggest shortfalls.
