Australia is on the cusp of an employment skills shortage in the information and communications technology sector, according to data from the Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association (ITCRA).

The group's inaugural Skillsmatch ICT Skills Dashboard revealed it now takes an average of 26.3 days to hire a new ICT employee, an increase of six days in the past year. In the same period, the number of suitable candidates for each role has decreased from 7.7 candidates to 6.8 candidates.

"The [findings] suggests that it's either becoming more difficult to find candidates with the right skills, or that those currently working aren't switching roles as frequently," said Julie Mills, CEO of ITCRA.

The results showed little correlation between the top skills in demand and the top skills offered by job seekers. Mills said the top five skills employers and recruiters are requesting are help desk experience; project management; Java; SQL and Windows.

In comparison, the top five skills offered by job seekers are COM; training, support, email and documentation. "This could indicate a potential skills mismatch.

As businesses grow and the days taken to hire workers increases, there is a risk that this gap could grow further." ITCRA higlighted a number of actions that employers can take to help alleviate talent shortages.

"Businesses can respond to the skills and talent shortage by ensuring they map out their short and long-term ICT needs.

As the labour market continues to tighten, access to skilled and available talent will become both more difficult and more important.

Organisations that understand their future ICT needs will be able to hire staff in a strategic manner to help drive future growth," said Mills.

ITCRA's Dashboard also revealed that contracting is gaining popularity over traditional permanent employment.

While contracting declined throughout 2010, it jumped over 16% in the first quarter of 2011, accounting for 78% of all recorded placements by ITCRA members.

"We expect that the number of contractors will grow even further in the coming quarter, particularly on the back of the Federal Government's announcement of $770m in ICT project funding in the recent budget," said Mills.