69% of UK IT firms say margins are unchanged or worse than they were a year ago

The majority of UK IT companies (69 per cent) say that margins on products and services are unchanged or worse than they were a year ago.

31 per cent of respondents in CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2015 report meanwhile said that margins are better nowadays.

42 percent of UK IT firms surveyed said they are fully staffed, but would like to hire more workers in order to expand, while 38 per cent of firms said they are understaffed.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent are fully staffed with no plans to hire. 

CompTIA’s consensus forecast projects a 2015 growth rate of five per cent for the global IT industry, an increase over the 2014 forecast of 3.4 per cent. The US growth rate is expected to mirror the global rate, while growth in the UK is projected to lag slightly behind.

“The amazing pace of innovation over the past five years will enter a new phase of maturity in 2015, driving value and benefits to untapped users around the world,” said Tim Herbert, VP of research and market intelligence at CompTIA.

CompTIA reckons more businesses will begin using cloud and mobile solutions to build advanced systems.

"The ability to manage data will become critical for more organisations, expanding market demand for this highly sought after skill," it added in a statement. "The potential of many connected devices and sensors in the Internet of Things will lead to new opportunities. Security will remain an overarching concern, requiring new approaches and a re-commitment to training.

"Within the IT channel, companies will continue on the path of business transformation, assessing the right direction to take in an age of fast moving market and technology forces."

CompTIA also set out a list of 12 trends to watch over the next 12 months – you can view the report at http://www.comptia.org/resources/it-industry-outlook-2015 or http://www.slideshare.net/comptia/comp-tia-2015-it-industry-outlook-vslideshare.