Mauritius decries shortage of ICT specialistsBy LINLEY BIGNOUX in Port Louis | Thursday, July 12  2012 at  17:44

The Mauritian Government has expressed concern over the shortage of skilled workers in the Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

According to a statement sent to newsrooms, the government had outlined career opportunities for youth to ensure a strong service sector economy.

The country will now utilise “employment potential” in the sector, owing to the important role it plays in the economy, the statement said.

The government’s primary concerns, the statement further said, were employment expectations of Mauritians, especially youth, and the constant mismatch between the skills offered and those needed in the ICT sector.

In August 2011, the Human Resource Development Council of Mauritius carried out a survey on the skills gap in the sector, and made its recommendations to the government.

According to one of the findings, employers were complaining about lack of qualified locals to fill the positions in the industry, which was still dominated by foreigners.

Mauritius now wants to end its reliance on foreigners to run the sector, which has huge potential for investment and job creation for the youth.

The number of employees in the industry was estimated to reach 19,000 by 2015.

Government statistics indicated that the ICT sector accounted for 6.7 per cent of the GDP and currently employed over 13,000 people, with growth likely to double over the next 10 years.