Thousands of IT jobs are to be outsourced by oil giant Royal Dutch Shell.
It has emerged that as many as 3,200 jobs could be moved to specialist contractors in its IT division as part of a major restructuring.
This move follows growing concerns about a lack of IT workers in the west.
Speaking to Computing magazine, Duncan Aitchison of outsourcing advisory specialist TPI noted that there is a shortage of IT workers in western counties.
He urged IT employees to focus on developing their specialist skills and management expertise.
News of Royal Dutch Shell's outsourcing emerged via a leaked email from vice president of IT infrastructure Goh Swee Chen.
According to Ms Swee Chen's correspondence, EDS, AT&T and T-systems are the companies involved in the deal.
The IT department at the company is thought to consist of around 3,600 employees, with outsourcing expected to affect "a substantial part" of its IT infrastructure services
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