Workers from abroad will contribute over £16 billion to the IT and telecoms sector by 2012, according to a new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

The contribution of imported personnel remains so important to the UK IT industry due to the poor availability of suitably skilled candidates leaving the education system, the report concluded.

“This is something the UK needs to face up to,” said John Whiting, managing director of Harvey Nash Recruitment which commissioned the study. “We’re just not bringing in enough potential technical experts through the education system”.

The CEBR study provides a counterpoint to a House of Lords report published today that questioned the contribution that immigration makes to the UK economy.

Although the Lords report claims that international migrants are taking away jobs from young British workers, it is a specifically British educational deficit which is being filled by software and electronics professionals from abroad.

Ironically, as increasing numbers of low-skilled communications jobs are outsourced to India, it is Indian professionals who are anticipated to make up the bulk of the 160,000 international software professionals expected to be working in the UK by 2012.

The Lords report endorsed a call from the Conservative Party for a cap on immigration. Critics pointed out that this could have a negative impact upon an IT sector already crying out for skilled international workers.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne argued that an points system, as used in Australia, would be preferred by cabinet members. This would, he said, “make sure we get the skills we need in this country and no more”.

Further reading

IT immigration up 14%