Every indicator I see says IT hiring will increase in 2011. Survey after survey says things are looking up, , , at least for new jobs in the IT segment.
GREAT NEWS, , , but don’t get too excited yet!
There is also a huge challenge looming for IT managers when it comes to hiring, and I just wrote about it in an article analyzing Cutter Consortium’s 2011 IT Trends Survey.
The issue is that hiring is going to become tougher and tougher for IT managers. The ability to find qualified technology expertise is going to become more difficult, , , not easier.
There are several reasons.
First, we are about to see many IT employees start looking for another company.
Even though there have been millions of jobs lost in the past 3 years, IT was somewhat insulated, , , not completely, but to some extent. We were not impacted as heavily as other sectors like construction, retail, etc. because we took a big hit in the early 2000’s during the “Dot.com” crash, , , remember the days when so many IT people were out of work?
In the current economic downturn, general types of workers were more affected and IT was insulated unless their company downsized across the board or went out of business, , , companies had already thinned out their IT organizations during 2000-2003.
This thinning process has placed enormous pressure on current IT organizations to keep up with their company’s needs during some very tough years. Technology support need continues to increase but IT staff levels have remained relatively flat for several years.
The result of this is that for the past 2-4 years, IT employees have been “hanging in there” and content to have a job with their company under possibly difficult circumstances because the job market has been so uncertain. Now that it is looking better, we are likely going to find IT people starting to search for a better situation.
Second, the pool of qualified technology candidates has shrunk and continues to shrink in a market that’s growing in need.
Because of the “Dot.com” crash and the more recent economic challenges, college graduates majoring in computer science and similar studies have had major difficulty finding a job. When these things happen, college students tend to veer away from majoring in these specialties, , , they major in something else where they are more certain to land a job upon graduating.
Add to this diminished output of qualified candidates coming out of the colleges and universities, , , and then look at the loss of senior level IT employees who are retiring. The “baby boomers” are retiring or changing professions faster than colleges are producing new IT professionals, , , and with them leaving we are losing the top tier of IT talent with years of experience.
Third, as companies need more IT workers and begin hiring, , , they will be looking for your best people.
That’s right, , , your very best people are their targets. When a hiring manager has an immediate need and wants experience, he or she is going to try to find a proven candidate, , , headhunters and placement companies have a way of learning who your best people are in your company.
What this means
All of this is going to place increased pressure on the IT manager in many ways:
- Motivation skills become much more important in order to keep your good people.
- Management skills become more important to insure your team is challenged and focused.
- Communication skills become more important to insure there is an open path for employees to discuss their issues.
- Interviewing skills become more important to find and hire the best.
New hiring forecasts are good and that’s great to hear, , , but with it you are going to see some additional challenges in the future. Develop a strategy to motivate and develop your team, , , they will walk through fire for a manager they respect and know supports them.
ITLever™ 