Bored and underpaid? You're not alone…

Take a good look at your IT department because the same old faces may not be around for much longer.

The majority of tech workers are on the look out for a new job, according to the latest silicon.com reader poll - and they're likely to be dreaming of a fatter pay packet or a bigger challenge.

Skills Survey

Find out the exclusive results of silicon.com's 2007 Skills Survey:

♦  Are CIOs getting less cash?
♦ How the staffing crisis is deepening
♦ How techie salaries are faring
♦ Offshoring still a hot potato
♦  Banks hardest hit by staff crisis
♦ Industry falling out of love with IT grads

A whopping 80 per cent of poll respondents said they are looking to change job in 2008. Factors creating the most unrest in the tech department are pay and boredom, with 35 per cent of poll respondents eyeing the job pages because they want more money. But this is matched by those suffering acute ennui: a further 35 per cent said they are looking for more challenging work.

It's a different tale for the other 10 per cent of those planning a move this year - they are seeking to reduce the amount of job-related stress.

But not every tech department is a hotbed of job dissatisfaction. Nineteen per cent of poll respondents don't plan on job-hunting this year because they're happy with their current role. One per cent, meanwhile, is escaping the rat race altogether - and heading for that retirement sangria in the sun.

On the flip side, more fresh faces could be heading to a tech department near you soon, according to IT training company Firebrand Training, which has seen a spike in demand for entry-level IT training courses.

The company said bookings for its ComDepTIA's A+ and Network+ courses - which provide skills for a variety of desktop support and admin roles - are up 45 per cent compared to the first two weeks of January last year. It added that interest in Prince2 project management and Vista-based MCSEs has also risen.

Robert Chapman, CEO of Firebrand Training, said the new year is traditionally a time for employees to consider their careers, adding in a statement: "It's no surprise people are taking the IT plunge - the skills shortage means that there are a plethora of opportunities available to those willing to take the first step on to the ladder."

Meanwhile, IT recruitment agencies are seeing plenty of candidates looking for jobs. Stuart Packham, a director at recruitment consultancy Michael Page Technology, recently told silicon.com: "Candidate flow is very good. We've got lots of candidates who were onto us on 2 January."

Tech workers who have project management and business analysis skills are in strong demand, according to IT recruiters.