- Studies show IT professionals like what they do and feel appreciated, but more than one-third of them plan to move on to advance their careers just the same, says NetworkWorld. A new Spiceworks poll found that 37% of the respondents plan to look for a new job in 2017 and 26% expect to accept a job offer.
- The 2017 Tech Career Outlook found that the reason most cited for leaving, by 69% of the respondents, was to advance a career. Other reasons for a new job hunt were to earn a more competitive salary (64%); work for a company that prioritizes IT (40%); escape burnout (40%); find better work-life balance (38%); get a better benefits package (33%); work with a better skilled IT team (26%); find better telecommuting options (24%); and seek a better job title (22%).
- Other factors driving the job hunt among IT workers are more money and faith in getting hired. Nearly six out of 10, or 59%, felt they were underpaid and 24% didn’t expect a raise of more than 5% next year. Even fewer IT workers, 12%, expected to be promoted.
Dive Insight:
IT professionals in the survey named the skills most in need of development in 2017. About 62% cited security or cybersecurity. Networking came in second, by 56% of respondents, and virtualization was third, at 45%. These surveys can help HR develop targeted staff training programs, which is crucial to workers in a fast-moving, innovative profession like IT.
Poll respondents said one of their biggest challenges next year will be educating business heads about IT’s importance and getting them to fund important IT projects. Employers with the foresight to incorporate IT workers’ ideas into their businesses’ overall objectives have the best chance of keeping top IT talent from moving on next year.