The slowdown in the IT sector has seen an increase in the number of personnel seeking to return home to work in Northern Ireland, according to new research.

The quarterly research, conducted by specialist IT company the DP Group revealed that just more than one-third of all respondents to the company's job vacancies in Northern Ireland were from Dublin or were London-based professionals.

"The trend is particularly noticeable at the middle and upper levels of the IT sector," said Mr Stephen Ingram, senior recruitment consultant with the DP Group, which has offices in Belfast, Dublin and London.

"It means that the calibre of people applying for IT jobs in the North has risen and employers have an impressive pool of highly qualified and experienced people to choose from," Mr Ingram said.

Not all those returning to the North are from the IT sector.

The research also showed that highly qualified personnel from the financial services and the manufacturing industry were also being attracted back to the North.

Quality-of-life issues and the slowing-down of the IT sector are cited as reasons for the new trend.

"People appear to be evaluating their careers in terms of lifestyle choices," according to Mr Ingram.

"There is a very real sense that people at a certain stage are not always motivated entirely by salary considerations but are weighing up job opportunities in terms of quality of life and career progression."

Despite salaries being lower in Northern Ireland, it is thought that the low cost of housing and the shorter commuting times are responsible for workers wanting to return home to the North to work.