CHICAGO, January 18, 2012 – Hiring in information technology was among the strongest of all sectors in 2011, but it’s also among the top sectors in which employers struggle to fill open positions. More than one-third (35 percent) of IT companies have jobs open that they cannot find qualified applicants to fill. As a result of this increased demand, many IT workers will see the effects reflected on their paychecks in a positive way this year. This is according to a new survey from Sologig.com, CareerBuilder’s job site for technology and contract workers.
The survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from November 9 to December 5, 2011, included hiring managers and human resource professionals from more than 180 IT companies nationwide.
“Companies in all sectors rely on the latest software, data and network technologies to maintain efficiency and productivity in the still fragile economy. As a result, this is an opportune time for workers who possess in-demand, niche technology skills,” said Jamie Carney, director of Sologig.com. “Compared to past years, IT companies are expected to offer more opportunities for new college graduates and workers who need on-the-job training. For experienced IT workers, salaries should rise along with increased demand.”
Salary Growth and In Demand Positions
More than 4 in 10 IT employers (42%) will offer higher starting salaries to new employees in 2012. Seventy-one percent of existing employees will also see salary increases this year. Additionally, 20 percent of human resource managers in all industries and sectors say that IT employees will see the greatest pay increases at their organizations – second only to sales positions.
The following five job titles, according to CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, have seen the greatest downward shift in labor pressure, meaning those that have become increasingly more difficult to fill.
1. Application Software Engineers
2. Web Developers
3. Systems Software Engineers
4. Computer Systems Analysts
5. Systems Architects
Turnover and Retaining Top Talent
Retaining and attracting top talent remains an important priority for recruiters in IT. Nearly a third (32 percent) said they saw an increase in voluntary turnover – employees leaving for other opportunities – in 2011. More than half (54 percent) are concerned top performers may leave their organization this year, and half (50 percent) say they’ll replace lower performing employees with higher performing employees.
Training Programs and Recruiting College Grads
Sixty-one percent of IT employers are concerned about the growing skills gap in the U.S. in which the skill sets workers have are not matching available jobs. To counter this trend, more employers are targeting young talent and are willing to train workers without experience. Fifty-one percent of IT employers will target recent college grads this year, compared to 40 percent for 2011. More than a third of IT employers plan to train and hire workers with no prior experience in the industry.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 186 I.T. hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) ages 18 and over between November 9 and December 5, 2011 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 186, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-7.19 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
About Sologig.com and CareerBuilder®
Sologig.com is an employment website that connects consultants specializing in technology and other fields with top employers in need of contract workers or permanent staff. Users can also post résumés, sign up for automatic job alerts and take advantage of job search management tools.
Sologig is a division of CareerBuilder, the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 40 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 9,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com