Study Shows Widening Gap in Supply, Demand of IT Grads
IT degrees are falling as job vacancies are rising.
Colleges and universities are producing fewer graduates with information technology skills than they were just a decade ago, all while the percentage of jobs in the field has grown by double digits.
That’s according to a new study by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists, which found that while the number of IT jobs grew 13 percent nationally from 2003 to 2013, the number of computer and IT degrees conferred during that time declined 11 percent.
This compares to sharp growth in other degrees conferred, such as healthcare (112 percent), liberal arts and humanities (47 percent), engineering (37 percent), business and management (33 percent) and education (18 percent), the study found.
“The deficit in IT degree completions is concerning when you consider that there is already a considerable gap between the demand for and supply of IT labor in the U.S. today,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Degrees in health professions, engineering, business, liberal arts and education are growing rapidly and we need IT degrees to keep pace.”
New York City saw the largest decline (52 percent) in the number of IT graduates, followed by declines in San Francisco (55 percent), Atlanta (33 percent), Miami (32 percent) and Los Angeles (31 percent).
Washington, D.C., saw a sizeable increase in IT higher education output, with a 31 percent rise. Two other cities also seeing an increase in IT graduates were Minneapolis-St. Paul (14 percent) and Salt Lake City (117 percent), the study found.