With the UK predicting that it will be facing a shortage of up to 500,000 professionals with top-end networking skills within the next three years, South Africa (SA) can brace itself for some serious head-hunting from UK companies - a situation that could exacerbate a local shortage.

This is according to Org Geldenhuys, a director of Pretoria-based IT recruitment company, Abacus Recruitment. Geldenhuys says that while SA does not face such severe shortage of top-end networking specialist, "there is nonetheless still a shortage.

The UK has always been a popular work destination for SA IT workers and if UK companies desperately need networking skills they are liable to offer alluring pay packets to potential employees. This might just serve to lure skills from our IT sector."

The shortage of top-end networking skills in the UK is said to be due to an increasing adoption of network technologies and growth in the e-business.

This, combined with a dearth of training programmes, could create a European shortage of up to 500,000 IT professionals by 2008.