Digital Gap

April 20, 2007 (LBO) –Sri Lanka would need 12,000 information technology (IT) sector workers over the next two years, but the country's educational system can supply only half that, the government's IT promotional body said. "Future demand patterns indicate a requirement of nearly 12,000 more IT workers over the next couple of years," Sri Lanka's ICT Agency said.

"While the supply of trained IT professionals remains unchanged, the supply of IT graduates is less than 50 percent of required levels,

The ICT Agency said the IT professional have increased by about 10,000 over the last two years.

The agency said a survey, National ICT Workforce Survey 2006/7, was carried out by the Sri Lanka ICT Association (SLICTA) with the help of USAID and the ICT Agency.

The first report œGeared for Growth was successfully launched in February 2005 which said Sri Lanka’s IT workforce in 2004 was 20,000, a 30 percent hike from 2003.

The survey estimated the IT workforce in 2006 to be around 31,000 which is less than one percent of the total employed workforce in Sri Lanka.

This year’s report, ˜Rising Demand’ looks at overall workforce growth, the demand for IT professionals and how the supply of