Australian Computer Society (ACS) president, Philip Argy said that while the demand for IT staff is increasing, supply of skilled graduates may lag by seven years.

"The education system is not keeping pace with where the world is going, and it's that gap that is responsible for what we are seeing," Argy said. "The growth in the need for IT skills has levelled out, and even started to increase, but the lead time before people see that and start enrolling in courses and graduating is five to seven years."

Silvano Basso, managing director at Aurion, said graduates are avoiding IT courses, opting for IT combined degrees.

"Students are drifting towards dual degrees rather than sole courses because of the poor industry image," Basso said. He estimates a 30 percent drop in university IT courses and said companies are forced to recruit staff offshore.