The number of IT professionals actively considering
changing their employer has doubled over the past year following a
sharp rise in demand for experienced IT staff.
Nearly 50% of IT workers are considering changing jobs, up from
25% last year, following a surge in demand from employers, a survey
of 6,000 permanent staff has revealed.
Pay for IT employees has soared by 18% over the past 12 months,
compared with an increase in national average earnings of 3.7%, as
employers vie to recruit from a limited pool of experienced IT
professionals.
The average salary for IT professionals has reached £34,500, the
survey by SkillsMarket for the Association of Technology Staffing
Companies (Atsco) revealed, with demand at its highest levels since
the dotcom boom of 2000.
“Many IT professionals wanted to switch jobs during the dotcom
boom, then the market slowed, and they are now looking for their
next role. Despite the availability of candidates, the industry is
unable to meet demand,” said Ann Swain, chief executive at
Atsco.
Demand for people with project management and technical
architecture experience has increased as companies start new
projects or seek to fill vacancies created by staff changing
jobs.
“For employers, the fluid state of the IT jobs market is
double-edged. Employers looking to build internal IT expertise
should be able to draw from a large pool of technology
professionals eager for new challenges, but they will need to put
in place measures to retain the skills that they already have,”
said Swain.
www.atsco.org