The image of people working in IT is set to change in the coming years, according to a study led by Skillsmart Retail.

It found that IT workers are now typically creative and business-savvy, following the expansion of online business.

Staff in IT departments help to drive development in a variety of areas, such as finance and retail, it suggested.

Ian Wheeler, research manager at Skillsmart Retail, commented that IT workers need to be at the core of any organisation so that its computer network, including its website, reflects the company's aims and strategies.

He added: "This means that businesspeople must be much more knowledgeable about IT and IT workers need to show that they not only have the technological expertise to deliver these results, but also the creative flair and business knowledge to do so."

Recent research from Powerchex suggests the biggest increase in CV-related dishonesty among the financial services sector over the past year was seen in IT contractors.

It uncovered a 30 per cent rise in the number of discrepancies compared with last year's figures.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent) In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'