CHICAGO, January 27, 2015 – Workers in the information technology industry hoping to see bigger paychecks and higher job prospects in the New Year may just get their wish. According to a new survey from CareerBuilder, more than half of IT employers (54 percent) plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the New Year, and nearly 9 in 10 percent will raise wages for current employees. Three in four IT employers will offer higher starting salaries for new employees.
The nationwide survey, conducted online by Harris Poll in November 4 through December 2, 2014, included 145 employers, hiring managers and human resource professionals in the IT industry.
In addition to hiring more full-time workers, 59 percent of IT employers will add temporary or contract workers.
A brighter economic outlook could be fueling the uptick in IT employers’ hiring and salary increase plans. Nearly 4 in 5 IT employers (78 percent) believe their organization is in a better financial position than it was a year ago.
“As companies rely more on technology to inform business decisions, enhance services and stay competitive, they need employees with the skills to navigate the increasingly complex technologies that are developing,” said Eric Presley, chief technology officer at CareerBuilder. “With that in mind, employers are focusing on ways to bridge the skills gap at their organizations, from investing in employees’ education to enticing talent with higher pay and more flexibility.”
Top IT Industry Recruitment Trends for 2015
From increasing pay, to funding education, to giving workers more flexibility, IT employers are using a variety of tactics to attract and retain (and in some cases re-train) highly skilled employees. This year’s survey uncovered six major IT recruiting trends for 2015:
1. Not-So-Minimal Wages: Nearly 9 in 10 IT employers (87 percent) plan to increase salaries for existing employees, and 3 in 4 will do so for incoming employees (75 percent). Minimum wage workers may also see a pay hike, with 47 percent of IT employers planning to raise their organization’s minimum wage.
2. Campus Recruiting: Most IT employers (70 percent) plan to hire recent college graduates in 2015, and 52 percent plan to hire paid interns. Thirty-five percent plan to hire more recent college graduates this year than last year.
3. From Retired to Rehired: More than one half of IT employers(53 percent) say they are “likely” or “very likely” to rehire retirees from other companies in 2015.
4. Recruiting Year-Round: Three in five IT employers (61 percent) continuously recruit for positions that may open up down the line.
5. Higher Learning: Half of IT employers (50 percent) are providing financial assistance for current employees going back to school to earn an advanced degree, with one in four (23 percent) footing the bill completely.
6. Nixing 9 to 5: Three in five IT employers (60 percent) will offer employees more flexible work arrangements this year, mainly in the form of alternate schedules, compressed workweeks, summer hours, job sharing and sabbaticals.
Where Is the Talent?
Despite having their designs on hiring, IT employers may run into challenges finding qualified talent. Sixty-two percent of IT employers believe there’s a significant gap between the skills they need at their organization and the skills job candidates have, and 48 percent have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates. More than half (54 percent) have job vacancies that stay open for 12 weeks or longer.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 145 hiring managers and human resource professionals from the IT industry (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between November 4 and December 2, 2014 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 145, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-8.14 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. 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, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
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