Windows 7 fuels demand for desktop support staff

Businesses upgrading to Windows 7 fuelled an increase in demand for project and desktop support staff last month, according to recent study.

In its ‘Professional talent spotlight – March 2010’ report, recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark noted the demand as organisations planned upgrades to Microsoft Windows 7, having “snubbed” Vista.

Badenoch & Clark also noted trends in sectors such as the NHS and financial services.

In the NHS in general, it said there was a particular demand for information analysts, data migration experts, and in some areas, network and server engineers.

"A number of systems upgrades and restructures in the NHS in the Midlands in particular have led to increased demand for permanent network and server engineers," said Matt Gascoigne, associate director, IT at Badenoch & Clark.

"Preference within NHS trusts for fixed term contracts over contracts is continuing," he added.

In the financial services sector, Gascoigne said that 70 percent of organisations in the sector have been forced to change their IT systems in light of new regulations within energy trading and risk management.

"Consequently, we’re seeing an uplift in demand for IT professionals with experience of OpenLink, TriplePoint or SolArc," he said.

Meanwhile, the continued recovery of the asset management market means that there was an increase in demand for people with experience of Charles River and Fidessa LatentZero systems in March. Moreover, the return of bonuses in the investment banking sector is believed to be driving a growth in vacancies, with business analysts with CDO (collateralised debt obligation), CDS (credit default swap) or derivatives experience in particular demand.

Across all sectors, Gascoigne noted an efficiency drive that was boosting demand for Business Intelligence (BI) professionals.

"With many organisations seeking analysis on their spend and maximising existing infrastructure, we’re seeing demand on the rise across the board for SAP BI roles," he said.

Permanent computing jobs grew faster last month than any other sector, according to a major survey by KPMG and REC.