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Clicks’ 2021-22 IT Workforce Insights Report: What Do IT Professionals Want?

Our latest edition includes over 1,100 individual responses from IT professionals surveyed in July 2021.

Over 1,000 IT professionals working in a range of technical and management roles responded to our most recent IT Workforce Insights survey. The data and insights from this report can be used by any organisation that recruits IT staff to support retention plans as well as recruitment strategies. By understanding the current mindset of the IT job seeker and employee, employers can ensure their employment offer is aligned to the market’s needs right now. This report complements our IT Recruitment and Retention report, which surveys those who employ IT professionals across Australia.

So, what are IT professionals saying, and what action can organisations take?

“Show me the money”
For the first time in over a decade years, candidates have said that an attractive salary is what will make them most likely apply for advertised jobs. This shift may be as a result of salary reviews and increases being paused (or even decreasing) for many, following COVID-19. This creates an opportunity for organisations to be transparent about salary information when posting job ads. This could include highlighting the salary range, talking about any salary benchmarks your organisations uses, and how the salary compares within the industry.

If you have goals, strategies, statistics, or policies that address the gender pay gap, this could be worth highlighting too. Additionally, survey respondents who cited low salary as the reason for leaving jobs have tripled in the last three years. This highlights the importance of this information to IT job seekers. Organisations who choose not to engage in this conversation will miss out on securing and retaining top talent.

“See you on LinkedIn”
More than 50% of respondents are visiting LinkedIn daily. Eight out ten are visiting LinkedIn at least once a week. This not only makes LinkedIn a great place to share job opportunities, it can also be an effective channel to communicate your employer value proposition and showcase your employer brand stories. LinkedIn can support the building of talent communities and job seeker pipelines for now and into the future.

“I’m open, let’s talk”
Over the last 12 months, 83% of respondents had received at least one unsolicited call about a new job opportunity, while some IT professionals have received as many as 10 or more calls in the same period. Of these, 40% have changed their jobs as a result. This signals how critical it is for organisations to develop robust retention and recruitment strategies to hang onto their top IT talent as well as tap into the passive job seeker market.

The majority of job seekers still want to speak to someone about job opportunities, however, the preference for phone calls has been declining over the past few years. We are seeing a rise in email and SMS as the preferred communication channel. When trying to reach candidates about prospective opportunities, using a multi-channel approach is best, as it allows candidates to connect via their preferred method.

“Keep up – I’m moving quickly”
Four out of ten respondents shared they have withdrawn from a recruitment process because it took too long. Our most recent IT Employment Confidence Index revealed job-seeking activity is at its highest in the past five years, with 58% of respondents actively looking and 86% open to new job opportunities. If organisations are going to capitalise on this positive sentiment and activity, they need to have a clear recruitment plan that allows them to move quickly to secure candidates ahead of their competitors.

For further insights and a copy of our latest report, reach out to your Clicks Account Manager or request a copy by clicking here. Our team can deliver a presentation that unpacks the report and helps you incorporate key insights into your recruitment and retention strategy.

For any hiring needs, contact your Clicks Account Manager or call us on 1300 CLICKS for a confidential discussion. Clicks specialises in IT recruitment. Our recruiters average 12 years’ industry experience, and we’re on over 80 Preferred Supplier Agreements. As Australia’s favourite IT recruiters, we can help you find top talent, fast!

About the IT Workforce Insights Report:
Clicks IT Recruitment has been surveying IT Professionals across Australia for over a decade. Our survey taps into the current mindset of IT employees and job seekers to support organisations that hire IT staff to develop data-driven recruitment and retention strategies.

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