Doom and gloom or boom?
I read recently that ‘there’s no recession in digital’ which, judging by how hard it is to find new developers and our heavy workload (which leaves us creaking at the seams), would appear to be true.
And if there were any doubts, new research from leading accountants BDO, points to a ‘two speed recovery’.
The firm predicts a widening gap, in its latest Industry Watch report, between those businesses able to take advantage of new technology and high-growth markets and those who can’t. Businesses who can grow online sales, exploit export markets and differentiate both product and service will set themselves apart from those who are dependent on the high street and UK consumers.
“There are real growth opportunities for North West companies, but the current two-speed economic recovery is more distinct than ever.” Said Dermot Power, business restructuring partner at BDO in Manchester. “Businesses that develop innovative products, distribution channels and a strong customer proposition will gain significant competitive advantage – irrespective of sector.”
BDO also believes that the technology, media and telecoms sector will be a ‘hot sector’ over the next 12 months, whilst property and construction, leisure, and business services sectors, are generally expected to continue experience difficult market conditions.
This research certainly supports our current experiences, which are of a huge volume of projects from new and existing clients and a bulging pipeline of opportunities, which has led us to try and add more resource into our development team. That search is proving harder than we thought, which is further evidence of the strength of the digital sector, as there seems to be a real skills shortage, especially in the asp.net/sql framework.
Footnote: This might not be blogging etiquette, but we’d be keen to hear from any reasonably experienced .net developers who’d like to work for a growing business on some exciting projects for a wide variety of clients, including several ‘blue chip’ businesses. We offer a great package, a flexible approach and even include fresh bean coffee and
free lunch everyday! Please contact will@bd2.co.uk for a job spec or a chat.