IT investments by companies grow 6% in 2012

IT investments by companies grew by 6% last year. This is what the annual survey by Instituto Sem Fronteiras points out, carried out with 1,140 companies that are among the 3,000 largest IT investment accounts in Brazil. The survey was released in early February.

Investments in the last decade had been growing above 10% per year, with the exception of 2009, when the growth was only 2%. Respondents attributed the timid growth to the impacts of the global economic crisis and the poor performance of the Brazilian economy: 73% of the interviewees highlighted that their budgets were affected, while 36% stated that their budgets will fall or remain at the same level as 2012. Still, ISF expects investment growth similar to that of last year for 2013.

Job market

Despite the crisis, only 4% of the IT areas intend to reduce the number of employees and 60% of them are looking for new hires. "The main challenge for companies, at this moment, is the qualification of their current professionals to deal with new technologies", says Ivair Rodrigues, director of research at the Institute. “Organizations understand that it is cheaper to invest in their staff”, he adds.
 

The survey also points out that companies do not want to give up on improving their IT infrastructure. "They do not intend to reduce the purchase of software and equipment this year, as they did in 2012", highlights Rodrigues. The challenge will be for service and outsourcing providers: 43% of respondents said they will seek to renegotiate their current contracts.

For Tatiane Ramos, research manager at the Institute, the importance that IT has been acquiring in the organization's business is notable. “We have seen the return of pressure from the high dome on the IT area so that IT can help reduce company costs. This situation was not very evident in the last three years ”, comments Tatiane.