EMC report: 71% of IT workers sought new role

Widespread dissatisfaction with career progression is encouraging a huge proportion of IT workers to look for roles outside of their current employer.

The situation is creating a headache for IT organisations who are faced with the possibility of losing workers to other businesses if employees’ concerns are not adequately addressed.

Data compiled by global technology company EMC shows that 71% of IT and cybersecurity workers in Ireland and Britain have looked for a new job in the past year.

Almost half of those workers were driven to seek new opportunities due to what they perceived to be restrictions on career progression.

“This research puts in clear terms the challenges that businesses across Ireland and the UK are facing when hiring and retaining IT talent,” EMC Ireland country manager Gerry Murray said.

“For these businesses to retain their tech talent, senior management must embrace the role IT plays in business development. In addition to competitive pay and career progression, management must delegate more creative control to IT teams, allowing for greater innovation and efficiency.

“In Ireland, a real shortage of tech skills, particularly in new fields like cloud computing and data analytics, means IT professionals are free to pick and choose who they work for and in what field.

"With national and global demand for these skills on the rise and tens of thousands of jobs either directly or indirectly linked to tech to be created in the coming years, companies must act now to create a working culture that is friendly to IT.”

Large IT firms were attractive workplaces for half of respondents to the survey, followed by digital organisations like Facebook (41%) and disruptive companies and other startups (32%).