The forecast for the first half of
2015 looks bright for IT workers. Eighty-seven percent of 2,400 CIOs surveyed
by Robert
Half Technology say they will add more staff, whether to fill vacant
roles or new positions.
With that expected hiring boom, its
likely salaries will increase for existing workers, or they'll receive a bevy
of new benefits, according to Jason Berkowitz, vice president of client
services, Seven Step RPO."We are seeing a noticeable
increase in IT hiring and we expect this to continue. Because of increasing
competition, we also are seeing pressure to raise salaries and other
benefits," says Berkowitz. "In some cases, competition is so tough
that companies are looking outside of their geographic areas and considering
relocating candidates from areas where talent is more available."
Prediction
2: Companies Will Leverage Mobile and Social Networks to Recruit Passive Talent
"Social recruiting is
yesterday's news -- all serious recruiters are already deeply networked through
social channels. If Facebook unveils rumored job search function -- the
so-called 'Linked-in killer' -- this could change, but for now even new
anonymous job search tools aren't likely to change the landscape in favor of
one network or another," says Berkowitz. The new paradigm for 2015 is
using social networks and mobile tech to increase connections with passive
candidates, which will also serve to drive up salaries.
"Good candidates already get
multiple outreach requests per week through LinkedIn, so finding candidates
isn't the issue. It's convincing them to make a move. Candidates are
understandably taking advantage of this candidate's market by making increasing
demands and driving up salaries across the board," Berkowitz says.
Prediction
3: Increased Focus on Employee Engagement and Retention
The upward pressure on salaries and
benefits will make it necessary for companies to employ better engagement and
retention strategies, at least if they want to hold onto elite talent already
in their ranks. "[Rising salaries and benefits] will likely lead to a lot
of 'job hopping,' and, as we've seen before, to avoid this, companies are going
to start emphasizing retention as well as placing a premium on potential
employees who display loyalty and longevity," says.
"Smart employers are definitely
increasing their investment in keeping the people they have -- not just through
bonuses and perks, but by really focusing on keeping their people engaged.
We've seen everything from corporate-sponsored hackathons and other
team-building activities to group volunteering activities -- anything to
provide more collaboration and meaning to peoples' jobs. Smart employers
understand that there is always a higher paying job out there, but people will
stick around for jobs that have true meaning for them," says Emily He, CMO
at Saba Software.
Prediction
4: Emphasis on Education and Training
Education and training will be a
major focus for 2015, says Cristin Sturchio, global head of talent at Cognolink -- especially for millennials.
"When you invest in training your people, you're providing them with
skills and tools they can not only use today, but also continue to draw upon
throughout their career," says Sturchio.
"We're also confident this
approach significantly enhances their loyalty to our company. For example,
initiatives like Corporate Universities, which are multi-year programs built
with learning and development in mind, aren't just for large, Fortune 500
companies. When it comes to developing your people, size doesn't matter; the
results do. Employees are engaged as teachers and facilitators, and they are
invested in teaching others," says Sturchio.
For the newer generation entering
the workforce, engagement isn't just about having a ping-pong table in your
office or hosting happy hours after work. "It's about knowing that as the
company grows, so will they. It's about creating an environment that encourages
active participation and engagement. [It] makes them feel like a valued part of
the company from day 1. It's about providing rewarding opportunities like being
selected to serve as campus ambassadors to represent the company at their alma
maters and teaching training courses that give back to the employee
community," says Sturchio.
Prediction
5: Employees Shift Focus from Full-time Work to Contracting/Freelancing
"During the last hot employment
market, we saw an increase in IT contracting and we expect that trend to
return," says Seven Step RPO's Berkowitz.
"A strong IT professional can
do very well contracting -- making a higher hourly rate than they would make as
a full-time employee -- and they can move from project to project every few
months and take time off in between. It's a very attractive model for some
employees. Employers would be smart to consider laying in some contract staff
in addition to their full-time employees, especially for very hard-to-find or
niche requirements," says Berkowitz.
"The global economy in general
is moving to a contract or freelance workforce. It's now a $1 billion worldwide
market, and projected to be $5 billion in the next five years," says
Xenios Thrasyvoulou, founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour
and SuperTasker.
"The flexibility benefits for
both employees and employers are hard to beat; the ability to find exactly the
talent you need for exactly the job you need them for is one of the drivers, as
well as the desire for specialization without having to pay a premium long-term
for a full-time employee," says Thrasyvoulou.
Prediction
6: HR Department Turn to Big Data
Big data will play a big role in the
employment landscape in 2015, says Saba Software's He, as HR departments try to
leverage data and translate it in ways that are meaningful to employees.
"We call it 'Intelligent Talent
Management,' taking advantage of all that data around employee behavior,
productivity, skills, system usage and workflow to grow workers skillsets and
continue engagement and productivity. Using Big Data from employees can be
helpful in determining who they should be connecting with on their career path,
what skills and education might be valuable to them, what information they need
and how better to improve their performance," says He.
"Looking ahead to 2015, we will
see the emergence of the Chief Data Officer. This person will advance from the
organization's Data Scientist role, and will possess strong left-brain and
right-brain competencies. They will excel in the areas of math and science, but
will also be extremely curious, collaborative, and communicative, and will work
hand-in-hand with other key business leaders such as the Chief Digital Officer
and the CIO," says Piyush Pant, vice president of strategic markets, MetricStream.
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