Fewer than half of employees in the hi-tech sector feel that they are well-trained, according to a new survey.

Putting it in Perspective, an annual report produced by research consultancy ORC International, found that just 47% of those in the hi-tech sector said they were satisfied with the training they received compared to 70% in the retail sector and a UK norm of 62%.

The survey also found that just half of employees working in the UK hi-tech sector felt secure in their jobs compared with three quarters of employees in the financial sector and a UK norm of 64%.

Commenting on the findings, Peter Hounsome of e-skills (the industry-driven organisation responsible for developing the quality and quantity of professional skills in IT, telecoms and contact centres) said that a downturn in the hi-tech market had left employees feeling vulnerable.

He added: "These concerns may be compounded by employees’ worries over their ability to keep up-to-date with the required skills needed by employers.

"Companies are now being forced to upgrade systems after a prolonged bout of 'belt tightening.' however in less than favourable market conditions the first thing to be cut is the training budget, and with shorter product life cycles, training provision is likely to always lag behind rapid technological change.”

The report was based on data taken from ORC Perspectives, which as one of the UK’s largest employee survey benchmarking database, represents the opinions of 1.4 million employees.