An In-depth Look at 3 Key IT Recruiting Trends

By Mark Boeder Recruitment

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Recruiting trends within the tech industry are very much like the tech itself; developing and evolving at an ever increasing pace. To stay head of the game, recruiters and hiring managers need to track and adapt to changing trends as they occur. It's a competitive landscape out there; a recent survey by Dice.com found that 72% of US based IT companies are expanding by about 10%. That's a lot of companies vying for the same talent.

In this post we're going to take a look at some of the skills that employers are struggling to recruit for, as well as exploring 3 key IT hiring trends that are impacting the way that hiring managers and recruiters attract and retain top tier talent.

 

What skills are in demand?

According to Dice, one of the fastest growing tech skills area is security. High profile attacks on organisations such as Sony and the recent hack on dating site Ashley Madison is underlining the need for security professionals. Within cyber security we're seeing a hot demand for auditors, ethical hackers, and forensic analysts. Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 37% increase in Information Security Analyst positions by 2022.

Dice also released a list of specific trending skills on the rise in 2015 with Cloudera Impala,  Adobe Experience Manager, Ansible, Xamarin and OnCue all enjoying a leap in popularity.

Other areas where demand is outstripping supply is workers with strong cloud skills. A study by Microsoft and IDC revealed that 1.7 million cloud-related jobs are currently available, many of which have remained unfilled since 2012. Whilst candidates with cloud certifications are on the rise, the widespread demand is proving hard for hiring managers.

To help employers bridge the gap between attraction and retention we're going to cover 3 hiring trends that you'll need to be familiar with.

 

1. A shift in focus towards recruitment personnel who know the tech

The tech industry moves quickly and with it so do its skill needs. Keeping up with the changes in technical skills and qualifications can be tricky for regular recruiters and in-house HR departments. To retain a competitive edge we advise using specialist tech recruiters or in-house technical managers that have the experience, and understand the technical aspects of the roles on offer.

Specialist tech recruiters are able to have detailed discussions about a company's needs, helping to build a picture of their technical requirements. Hiring personnel with the requisite niche experience are then able to assess a candidate's experience and skills, qualifying their suitability for the positions and ensuring a quality hire.

 

2. Focus on employee satisfaction and retention

In a bouyant recruitment market, attracting and retaining quality hires can be increasingly tough. IT sector professionals are optimistic about the strength of their industry,  employability and the number of jobs on offer, and are more likely to look for pastures new  as they strive to increase their earning potential and job satisfaction.

Employers that want to retain talent will need to take steps to understand employee's motivations for career growth and focus on increasing employee satisfaction to stop them going elsewhere. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Q1 of 2015 showed that an average of 544,000 employees per month voluntarily quit their positions in the first two months of Q1. This number is significantly higher than the monthly 10-year average of 415,000 voluntary departures, showing the tenuous nature of hires in today's market.

In this turbulent environment it's going to become increasingly important to not only recruit for the right technical abilities now, but to also develop a picture of how new hires can develop and grow within your company. You need new hires that can adapt in a rapidly changing environment and you need to support their development through access to training and support. Committing to their development will help to build loyalty as well as paying dividends for your business. In our opinion it's a no-brainer!

 

3. Less consultants, more full time employees

One particularly important trend within the IT sector is the change in contracts on offer. We're seeing a shift in the number of full-time contracts available over consultant positions. In the past, there was a trend towards offering consultant or contingent roles. Now, as tech becomes more embedded into everything that we do, long term, more permanent roles are being created. In addition, we're seeing that IT professionals want the stability and benefits that a full time position offers. Offering full time contracts is a great way to distinguish yourself against other employers and could help you to recruit for those hard to fill positions.

 

Final thoughts

Looking forward to the rest of 2015, it's clear that employers will need to do more to attract and retain quality tech talent. Employers need to focus on developing a strong employer brand, offering attractive employment packages, and committing to the development of their staff. At the same time, employers will need to use hiring managers or tech recruiters with the knowledge and understanding of the sector to hire the best.

 

Mark Boeder Recruitment is a Milwaukee-based staffing company that specializes in the IT industry throughout Southern Wisconsin and the Greater Chicago Area. The company utilizes a fit-focused approach when working with a variety of clients in the IT industry, including start-ups and Fortune 500 businesses.

If you would like to discuss your business’s IT workforce challenges and goals, please contact Mark Boeder by email [email protected] or by phone 414-659-7009

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