More than seven out of 10 (71%) IT and cyber security workers have looked for new roles at other organisations in the past year, according to research from technology firm EMC.
In The Great Skills Exodus: Why the industry’s leading IT talent is deserting businesses 51% of IT workers said low pay is their reason for frustration, and 49% highlighted restrictions on career progression. A quarter (26%) cited an unwillingness to change the way ‘things have always been done’ in their organisation, and 23% blamed a lack of senior understanding of IT’s role in achieving corporate goals.
Despite more than three-quarters (78%) saying they felt the growth and success of their organisation is fundamentally reliant on themselves or their team, 20% of IT employees said they were held back by their workplace’s restrictions on implementing new technologies, and only 67% received training twice a year to keep up with technology innovations.
Ross Fraser, UK and Ireland country manager at EMC, warned that companies must consider ways of holding on to their best tech talent. “Technology is at the heart of business transformation and the IT team is ideally placed to help any organisation navigate new opportunities and threats in the market,” he said.
“With employment of IT professionals forecast to grow at 1.62% per year by 2020, businesses must ensure they offer the most compelling career opportunities in order to retain the best staff, or risk losing as many as three-quarters of their IT team in the coming months – something that would have a hugely detrimental impact on any organisation.”
Simon Hansford, CEO at Skyscape Cloud Services, explained that his company is continually focused on creating rewarding careers and opportunities for top IT talent. “As well as strong academic and technical expertise and experience, we’ve seen employees thrive in agile and fast-paced environments that foster innovation,” he said. “EMC’s report proves it’s a fundamental necessity within business to invest in our people; providing them with adequate training programmes and fostering growth in STEM careers.”
