Job applications have tumbled in the IT sector, raising concerns over further skills gap increases, according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

The data, provided by the network of job boards, Broadbean Technology, revealed that the rate of Applications Per Vacancy has fallen consistently since August 2023, when IT jobs reported an APV of 82.91. By December, this had dropped to 59.19. The number of people applying for contractor IT jobs also fell from 130.01 in September to 96.55 by the end of the year.

While vacancies also decreased with permanent and contract roles down by 44 percent and 38 percent respectively, month-on-month in December, this fall in APV rates indicates that fewer experts are looking for new jobs in an already skill-short sector.

“We’ve already heard rumors of further tech layoffs at some of the big players including Amazon, so the downward trend in vacancies reported towards the end of last year is unsurprising. However, this data isn’t reflective of a recruitment market that is in a dire state. Demand for IT professionals is still being influenced by skills shortages, which makes the decline in applications we’re seeing a concern. With fewer jobs to apply for, we would expect to see applications remain stable, but they have plummeted. The shortage of available talent is further evidenced in the APV rates which again, we would expect to see an increase when jobs fall. The talent tech crisis is far from over,” comments Ann Swain, Global CEO of APSCo.