Tech Industry Hiring On The Up, Skills Shortage Continues

New figures show that employment within the technology sector is growing nearly five times faster than the national average, On Rec reports.

According to a recent Salary Guide report conducted by recruiter Robert Half, hiring within the tech market is expected to grow by 2.19% this year, thanks largely to a boost in the number of IT upgrades needed.

Combined with constant technological developments, and the increasing need to protect corporate data, this equates to a period of upwards trajectory for the industry as a whole.

The report notes that the large majority (91%) of IT bosses plan to up their investment in technology this year. However, a similar number (93%) are concerned about IT security, as they reported that the number of security threats found by their firms had increased or stayed the same in the past year.

This means that, on average, companies are currently spending nearly one fifth (19%) of their IT budgets on security – which spells good news for skilled IT professionals, as hiring for both permanent and contract individuals is expected to rise even further.

The tech roles that have witnessed the biggest growth in numbers include chief information security officers (CISOs) at 5.7%, data architects (5.5%) and software developers (5.4%). As well as this, nearly a third of CIOs plan to increase salaries by an average of 4%. Salaries have grown even more in the US, and experts have commented that where the US goes, the UK tends to follow.

Commenting on the findings, Robert Half’s associate director Charlie Grubb noted that as more organisations realise the importance of technology in accelerating business growth, this could lead to “an even tighter tech talent market in the months to come”.

“Heavy investment in tech businesses and start-ups has brought exponential growth to the hiring market in this sector, while further initiatives and IT investment in non-technology businesses have compounded talent shortages,” Grubb explained.

This has meant that the most highly-skilled candidates are receiving multiple offers and increased salaries for their work, thus leading to “the strongest demand for permanent and contract technology professionals in the UK for many years.”