On a daily basis, people make the brave and thrilling decision to leave their current employer in the pursuit of new horizons and challenges. It’s a fact of life. However, despite this, organisations are often left in the lurch when a key team member leaves at a critical time.
This is particularly true in the world of IT, where, thanks to a skills shortage, employers find it hard to find staff in the first place, let alone keep them.
According to a recent study from Spiceworks, the professional networking platform, 32% of organisations in Europe plan to hire more IT staff in 2019. At the same time, 28% of IT professionals plan to find a new employer.
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“Overall, the job outlook looks promising for IT professionals in 2019,” said Peter Tsai, senior technology analyst at Spiceworks. “As a result, many tech professionals are polishing up their resumes in hopes of landing a position that offers a more competitive salary or an opportunity to advance their skills. At the same time, many organisations in Europe are eager to find employees with the right expertise to help upgrade their outdated infrastructure and stay compliant with GDPR.”
The findings also show eight per cent of IT professionals in Europe plan to move into IT consulting, nine per cent plan to leave the IT field for a new career, and six per cent plan to retire. However, jobs plans vary significantly by region. For example, in the UK specifically, 38% of IT professionals plan to find a new employer next year, compared to the 28% average in Europe and 24% in North America.
Naturally, employers are worried. In asking themselves if their staff might be moving to new pastures, it is also worth asking “why would someone like to leave us?”
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This is a broad question, but Spiceworks’ research does point to relevant answers. According to their 2019 State of IT Careers report, most IT professionals planning to find a new employer next year are searching for a better salary.
However, this is not across the board. In Europe IT professionals are less motivated by money than their counterparts in North America: 52% of IT professionals are looking for a better salary in Europe, compared to 73% in North America. Currently, the median salary for IT professionals in Europe is €55,000, compared to $70,000 in North America.
Fifty-one per cent of IT professionals planning to switch jobs in Europe are also looking to advance their IT skills, while 37% are looking for a better work-life balance, and 32% are searching for an employer that prioritises IT. Less than 20% of IT professionals are seeking a better job title or better employee perks.
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