Notwithstanding the problem of unemployment in some sections of the economy, finding the right candidate for the right job in the Information Technology sector is a major challenge for employers and head-hunters, according to a survey.
The Robert Half Survey found that companies were keen to increase the complement of their permanent IT staff to facilitate business growth, implement upgrades and cope with the increasing workload.
About 80% of the respondents, mainly comprising chief information officers and chief technical officers employed in New Zealand, said that they were optimistic about the growth of New Zealand during the current year.
“Based on such expectations, about 20% of the senior managers interviewed said that they would like to increase the number of their permanent technology personnel during the first half of the current year. About 72% of the participants said that they would maintain the current level of staff, while only 5% said they may reduce the number of employees in this sector.
“Despite this, well over half (57%) of senior IT managers are currently finding it a challenge to secure skilled IT professionals and 55% cited retention as an on-going concern for 2012,” Robert Half general manager Megan Alexander said.
Confidence rises
According to her, the demand and supply of IT professionals mirrored the survey results. Skills shortage is far from over and it is tough to find good IT staff in New Zealand.
“Over two thirds of CIOs and CTOs surveyed are confident that their company will invest in new technology projects in 2012. With more and more projects being signed off, finding the manpower with the specialist skills to carry out the work is difficult,” Ms Alexander said.
Robert Half expects an upswing in the number of companies willing to sponsor people from overseas if the skill shortage continued, she said.
Overseas recruitment
“Though remuneration may not be as strong as what is on offer overseas, candidates are attracted to the entrepreneurial nature of many IT roles in New Zealand They are also interested in being involved in start-up projects where they can be a big part of the business and see quick growth,” Ms Alexander said.
According to the Survey, it takes more than seven weeks to fill a management level IT position and more than five weeks to fill a staff level position.
The Survey said that heightened confidence in the market will see an increase in those looking to move jobs over the coming months.
Employers should carefully consider their projected business growth, be proactive and ensure their staffing plans are in tune with the needs.
“Now is the right time for managers who want to keep and attract top employees to put retention under the spotlight. Those in hiring positions should consider what benefits they can offer prospective employees to avoid losing them to competition,” Ms Alexander said.
