When, earlier this year, Be-IT asked me to conduct independent research into the impact of Covid-19 on the IT recruitment market, we agreed that it would be better to split this into two. Accordingly, the first study looking at employers’ perceptions and the second one asked candidates how the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 have affected them. The key findings from the new study are as follows:
Even though most people outside the sector probably regard IT as offering ‘a safe, secure job,’ those inside it are not so sanguine. Job security is a major concern for both perm and contractor staff, with a substantial majority of respondents fearing for their job over the next 12 months. The study suggests more than half of perm employees (56%) know of plans for redundancies at their company.
Intriguingly, a considerable number of both perm (46%) and temp (31%) staff don’t seem to like their current role (even if they are not looking for something new at this precise moment). This may be due to many IT staff taking pay cuts and/or being furloughed. We might reasonably describe them as being, if not disgruntled, certainly far from gruntled in their current position. Even those who do enjoy their work are concerned about their future employment prospects – and worried employees do not make for an efficient company. This discontent is also reflected in the 20% of perm staff who fancy moving to a contracting role and, on the other hand, the 18% of contractors who want to move in the opposite direction.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, perm employees are more concerned about wellbeing than contractors, with nearly half (49%) wanting more investment from their employer in this area, compared to only 5% of contractors. The presumption is that contractors are, by nature, more self-sufficient.
The Be-IT team have prepared a series of videos which will look into all the key findings in more dept and will be published over the coming days. For those who want to dig more deeply into the data, the full report is available below.
Alastair Blair, thePotentMix
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