Being overworked and underpaid is not an unusual characteristic of an IT professional. According to several industry reports, the climate is taking a turn for the better.
The 2015 IT market is beyond healthy and is expanding on all fronts. From database managers to cybersecurity teams, there is a strong demand now and into the future. Here are 6 reasons that the money will be steadily flowing into our industry this year.
1. A good admin is hard to find
Fulfilling the immense need for qualified IT personnel is the bane of many a recruiter’s existence. The unemployment rate for IT techs has always been relatively low, and now that specialized positions such as software development, security, and cloud computing are exploding, the hiring climate is very competitive. For those that have the technical talent as well as the communication skills necessary in any organization, salary negotiations are in their favor.
2. The need to innovate
The economy is in an upward swing, leading to positive outlooks for many businesses. CompTIA has a quarterly Business Confidence Index which reports that it was up 2.4 points from the previous quarter. This was the largest jump in two years. Their industry projection was at its highest peak post-recession, illustrating that leaders in the space are making moves towards heavier technology investments with aims on growth.
3. Looking for leaders
In the past, recruiters focused on nabbing help desk staffers, programmers, and developers. This year TEKsystems released its 2015 Forecast and found that companies are searching for more managerial roles such as directors and project managers. Bringing in new leaders helps keep all of the functioning team members aligned and also maintains a strong team culture, keeping talent retained.
4. More full-time positions
When money was down, so were the amount of full time IT employees. Most organizations were forced to downsize and eliminate salaried positions. This was a blessing for outsourcing firms, but now the tables have turned. Companies are looking to reorganize internally to form a solid infrastructure for scaling.
5. Money talks
Salaries for IT are on the rise across the board. A booming 68% of IT leaders are stating that they plan on raising employee salaries of about 5% on average. Given that organizations are hurting for keeping talent around, bonus structures and higher salaries are about all they can do. As expected, salary options near tech hubs such as San Francisco or Silicon Valley are seeing extreme jumps.
6. Midsize enterprise expands
Reported in the 2015 IT Salary Survey from Janco Associates’, IT executives will bring home higher salaries at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees and $500MM in revenue. Salary numbers and hiring up to levels seen seven years ago, the demand is looking to remain.
Sources:
TEKsystem’s 2015 IT Forecast
CompTIA’s 2015 IT Industry Outlook
IT Industry Business Confidence Index
CIO
Janco Associates’ 2015 IT Salary Survey