Is it just me, or is the IT job market back? Throughout the first
quarter of 2012 we've experienced a highly competitve market for talent
within our client base and everything I've been reading leads me to
believe that as far as technology related jobs go, the unemployment
curve is firmly back in the candidates' camp. There were hints of this
in the latter half of 2011 as the software engineer supply / demand
curve changed and as we get deeper into 2012 I'm seeing employers having
difficulty filling other related roles (analysts, managers, QA,
etc..).
But with all that good news, the marketplace still seems a little
unsettled. I think there are a number of factors (both real and
perceived) that are causing some of the turmoil for both employers and
employees. Here's my Top Five:
5: Perception
Employers think there's going to be plenty of candidates for every open
job. They put a laundry list of skills on a job description and expect
each candidate to hit the mark exactly. No question they could have a
very narrow candidate target in a market rich with surplus talent.
Today that surplus is gone yet many organizations expect to find
candidates that align with every bullet point on their list.
Reality Unemployment is still 8.3% nationally but unemployment in Kansas is a much more manageable 6.1%. When
you consider 3% unemployment is considered full employment the picture
in KS looks different. Especially in technology jobs. Technology professionals have more options and employers need to think about loosening up on requirements as jobs go unfilled.
4: Reality Budgets
are tight, employers are expected to do more with less and that means
candidates need to be versatile. This is part of the 'new normal' and
employers are learning to be more agile which is changing how they view
roles within the organization.
3: Reality Employers
are being more aggressive about keeping their employees. We've had
more people say no to us in the first three months of this year after
receiving a counter-offer than all of last year.
More Reality
A six month to one year clock starts when a counter offer is
accepted. It doesn't solve the problems that caused someone to look.
Counter-offers are a panic move by the employer, the
now know time is limited and begin to put a succession plan into place.
If the person was really worth it, why didn't they make the offer
before their resignation. Acception a counter is never a long-term
solution. This article does a great job of outlining the pitfalls of accepting a counter.
2: Perception Leaving a job today involves a higher risk than in the past.
Reality Given
the unemployment numbers and the extremes organizations go to in their
attempt to retain employees there isn't any more or less risk associated
with a move than there was 5 years ago.
1: Reality
Salaries haven't fully recovered which means the risk / reward paradigm
that helped people move off one job for another has changed.
More Reality
In the pre-recession days organizations flush with operating capital
were able to spend more money on everything, including salaries.
Employers are going to have to find other 'hot buttons' to entice
employees to make a move to their organization. Telecommuting.
Flexible Schedules. Ten Grand and Free Beer for a Year.
So what does the rest of the year look like? Only time will tell.
One thing to be sure - technical recruiters will continue to be
aggressively pursuing candidates for their clients, and organizations
will continue to have gaps on their IT staff.
If you would like to keep up to date on the happenings in the KC IT
market, as well as what's going on with RiverPoint you should join our
LinkedIn Group. Just click here and you'll be magically transported to
the join page.
