Early signs that IT projects will return in 2010

It may be too early to call a full recovery to the local economy, but signs are beginning to filter through that IT projects, which were put on hold during last year’s downturn, will rapidly begin to come back online.

Project Management Institute (PMI) has opened a Sydney office for its Australian and New Zealand members amid predictions that demand for project management skills will be high across the two countries over the next 12 to 24 months.

According to PMI Board of Directors member, Jane Farley, the National Broadband Network (NBN), a resurgent resources sector and the return to the table of some major public and private projects would results in increased pressure on project management (PM) skills.

"Skilled project managers will be needed by a cross-section of industries in the region, from telecommunications and technology to mining and logistics,” Farley said in a statement. “In addition, the current proposals for an emissions trading scheme could well see an explosion in projects by affected companies, either retrofitting their current businesses to meet emission standards, or restructuring to cope with the financial implications.”

In line with increased scarcity, those with project management skills will arguably be able demand greater salaries this year according to a recent report from IT recruiter, Hayes.

The company says that while the average IT employee or job seeker will have to think twice before demanding a higher salary in 2010, those with senior level project management skills will have some leverage to play with.

“If candidates can prove that they can make a difference to the organisation, then yes they probably will be able to ask for — not demand — higher salaries, but I don’t think it’s going to be massive across all of IT,” regional director of Hays IT, Peter Noblet, said earlier this week.

The PMI’s Australasian office is headed by Anwar Benjamin, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the finance sector and has held senior positions at National Australia Bank, Westpac Treasury, ANZ and Macquarie Bank. The PMI has seven self-managed PMI chapters in Australia and New Zealand representing 7000 members with an additional 36,000 members throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

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