Title: Executive director
Organization: Robert Half Technology
Robert Half, a provider of IT staff on a project and full-time basis, sees a battle for IT talent in the offing. Computerworld's Jamie Eckle spoke about the trend with Spencer Lee.
What evidence does Robert Half see of a shift in the employment market from employer-driven to employee-driven? We're finding real evidence both in our research and in our everyday interactions with IT hiring managers and job applicants. Research conducted for the Robert Half Technology 2006 Salary Guide finds that average starting salaries for all technology positions are expected to climb 3 percent this year. Much greater increases are projected for positions like IT auditor (11.2 percent), lead application developer (5.3 percent) and network security administrator (5.2 percent). These gains are a reaction to a tightening labor pool for certain specialties and a sign that employers are beginning to more aggressively compete for candidates.
In addition, according to the Robert Half International and CareerBuilder.com EDGE Report, nearly half of surveyed employees say they are likely to seek new positions at other companies within the next three years. And 60 percent said they would be more likely to negotiate compensation packages now than even one year ago. Although the survey included respondents from a variety of industries, the results are no less true within IT departments.
In what might be the most telling sign of the shifting market, anecdotal feedback from the IT hiring managers with whom we work suggests they have to work harder to attract and hire the best candidates, many of whom are receiving job offers from multiple employers. CIOs who delay the employment process too long are finding their top choices accepting positions elsewhere.
Is this increasing recruiting costs? While we are unlikely to return to the hiring levels of the late 1990s, companies are increasingly recognizing that some of the recruitment strategies made popular during the dot-com era are needed to attract high-demand IT talent today. In addition to salary increases and hiring bonuses, many firms are investing in more creative tactics. Innovative firms are targeting individuals with specific skill sets by maintaining a presence at venues where they'll be, such as user group meetings, and tracking blogs aimed at these professionals. Advertising or posting jobs on Web sites and in e-newsletters targeted at those same groups can also be effective.
Whatever these increased recruiting costs may be, smart companies realize that they're far less than the potential costs associated with losing top talent to the competition.
Anecdotally, we hear a lot about IT professionals with lots of experience who can't find jobs. How do you explain the discrepancy there? The old passage "a rising tide lifts all boats" applied more to the IT employment boom of the late '90s than it does to growth today. Because CIOs are seeking candidates with very specific skill sets -- including technical expertise, industry experience, well-developed soft skills and business savvy -- not all IT professionals are feeling the recent gains in employment.
RFID talent pool
CompTIA has launched RFID+, a vendor-neutral professional certification of skills in radio frequency identification technology that addresses the needs of RFID hardware and software manufacturers, value-added resellers, training developers and end users of the technology. The certification was developed using contributions from more than 20 organizations at the forefront of the RFID industry.
75 percent
Percentage of companies that don't believe there is a sufficient pool of talent in RFID technology from which to hire.
Base: 80 mostly North American companies
Source: The Computing Technology Industry Association Inc., January 2006
Helping girls get IT
One group that is trying to do something about the dearth of students entering the IT profession -- and aiming specifically at girls -- is the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. It was the spark behind the formation of a club at University High School in Ferndale, Mich., with the catchy name GET IT (which is an acronym of the not-so-catchy Girls Exploring Together Information Technology). The idea behind the club, according to a story in the Detroit Free Press, is to prepare girls for careers in computer technology, math and science.
Multisourcing
Most job candidates use more than one source for their job searches:
-- Internet, newspaper, other: 31.1 percent
-- Internet, newspaper: 18.7 percent
-- Newspaper only: 16.1 percent
-- Newspaper, other: 9.3 percent
-- Internet only: 8.4 percent
-- Other only: 8.4 percent
-- Internet, other: 8 percent
Base: Survey of 5,000 households
Source: The Conference Board, December 2005
The future's so bright, you've gotta wear shades
A government report forecasts tremendous growth in the need for computer scientists and database administrators over the next eight years, but almost none at all for programmers. The report says that increased emphasis on information security is behind the former group's shining prospects. It adds, though, that programming jobs will be harder to find "as software and outsourcing eliminate many routine programming tasks." Things will be especially tough for those without formal education, the report says.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, spring 2006