As a US internet company reveals that it is to establish a research development centre north of the border - it has emerged that the Irish IT industry is producing more vacancies than qualified IT professionals can fill.

On the same day that Cybersource - which handles millions of pounds worth of online payments - announced it planned to recruit 56 software development professionals for a new facility in Belfast, a survey on industry salary levels carried out by Dublin-based Sigmar Recruitment has pointed to a severe shortage of professionals.

This shortfall of IT professionals is making Ireland an ideal location for qualified individuals coming from other countries within the European Union, said Barry Rudden, Associate Director with Sigmar Recruitment.

"In 2008, there is again a huge demand for software developers with Java, .Net and web development experience and this void is being addressed by migrant workers coming mainly from Italy, Spain, Poland and Hungary, among others," said Rudden.

So while many jobs in the Irish tech industry based around manufacturing and call centres have moved towards economies with lower production and wage costs, including areas of eastern Europe and Asia, Sigmar said its research shows that "there is a continuous, steady increase in more high-value, highly skilled roles being brought into Ireland."

The main findings of the research reported the average industry salary across different areas.

The average tech support employee with one to two years experience will earn €23k-28k per year, whereas a software developer with the same timeframe of experience will earn between €30k and €35k.

In contrast, the average chief technical officer with five years-plus experience takes home on average €130k-150k per year.

(BMcC)