IT contractors will be disappointed to learn that few UK businesses are looking to replace staff lost to the recession.

According to survey conducted by Esteem Systems, only three per cent of firms are looking to fill the IT skills gap left by the credit crunch.

This is despite 64 per cent of respondents claiming that they will be investing in IT as a way of driving their business forward.

IT managed services are becoming a growth area, as the research indicates that they are being used as an alternative to staff recruitment.

"This is because the current climate may still be too unstable to commit to recruiting more staff, and there is also a real need to relieve the pressure on overstretched IT departments," explained Esteem Systems chief operating officer Alastair Kitching.

Frost & Sullivan recently suggested that there may be job vacancies appearing in the data centre sector, as this is currently a strong growth market.