More companies are going to be hiring substantially more tech professionals in the next year than they did in 2013. And, as they search for new talent, employers will be trying harder to hang on to their existing tech staffers.
That's what a survey of 840 hiring execs told Dice.com, "the career hub for tech." Last year and this year, three-quarters of respondents said they'd be adding techies to their teams. The difference? In the 2013 survey, 19 percent said their hiring would be "substantial." This time around, the number rose to 24 percent.
What'll take to bring on the new talent? Show us the money, job candidates are saying. By now, they know there's a demand for their services, and money will talk if they're going to walk. Hiring professionals told Dice that 75 percent of the tech staffers they lost took another position for more money.
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Many of those in a position to do the hiring (58 percent) said they had vacancies in their tech departments "because the salary guidelines weren't appropriate." Dice suggests that 2014 will see more companies opening their wallets to plug these holes.
When it comes to retaining talent, those surveyed said competition is becoming fiercer. Forty-one percent said they noticed an increase in counteroffers from existing employers when they were trying to lure someone away, up from 39 percent six months earlier. The number of job candidates turning down job offers rose slightly, to 34 percent.
The drain of tech talent was palpable in the survey results. "More than 40 percent of the survey respondents said they've lost tech staff in the last six months. That compares to just over 30 percent who said that in the spring survey," Dice reported.
Voluntary departures were on the rise in 2013. One-third of hiring pros interviewed in mid-2013 said they'd seen an increase in quitters, but by the time of the year-end survey, 42 percent said they were experiencing more voluntary departures than in previous years.
"The New Year should be 'all systems go' for tech professionals on the career front. There aren't many times when you can write your own ticket, but this consistent optimism and upward pressure on compensation means it's time to capitalize," said Shravan Goli, president of Dice.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
