It was reported that there is a 90 percent short fall in the production of IT graduates in the Gulf.
The Gulf universities are producing only 8,000 to 10,000 graduates qualified for jobs in the IT sector, but the demand is for 100,000 a year.
According to the Gulf News, this shortage in qualifying national IT employees will result in serious implications for the region's efforts to close the gap with the more established markets.
Current estimates show that in the next seven to eight years the Gulf states have the potential to create 500,000 high quality jobs in IT, making it the single largest employer.
Kito de Boer, regional managing director at McKinsey and Co was quoted by the daily as saying that “there is large scope for quality IT professionals, but the supply side remains weak and the enormous gap needs to be closed if the Gulf states are to be on the right side of the digital divide.
"But this will not come about cheaply."
McKinsey and Co. is completing a study on the regional digital economy, Boer said, noting that in particular, the study will focus on the current state and how it might be expected to develop, the extent of the digital divide by market sector and geography, and how this might be bridged – Albawaba.com
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