Professionals in the world of information technology (IT) are on the podium of the most sought-after professionals in the global labor market.
Según una investigación reciente llevada adelante por Manpower Group realizada a 14.000 personas en 15 países, el 54% de las compañías a nivel global reporta escasez de selección de personal IT.
The figure published in 2020 represents the highest in more than a decade. In Argentina, 50% of employers have difficulty finding the skills they need and being able to fill their positions.
Regarding the processes of search and selection of workers, the most difficult positions to fill are technical, followed by qualified trades and then those related to the IT world.
Cybersecurity experts, network administrators, technical support and developers are some of the most in-demand professionals on the market.
IT recruitment processes turn out to be the most challenging for recruiters and HR experts.
Regarding the size of the companies with positions to be filled, the study revealed that small organizations (with between 10 and 49 employees) are the ones that have the most difficulties in filling their jobs.
This is followed by micro-enterprises (with fewer than 10 employees), then medium-sized (50-249 employees), and finally large organizations (with more than 250 people).
Another of the triggers presented by the research is that, when opting for a job change, there are several factors that motivate the person to accept another job opportunity beyond salary.
And it is essential to take into account all these factors when developing a personnel selection strategy by the human resources area of any organization.
Top reasons for making a change include:
- Salary: Employee compensation is the main attraction and retention factor within a company. It is vital to be competitive.
- Career plan: A personalized career vision, based on data and periodic evaluations stimulates the employee.
- Challenges: A challenging role, with the possibility of exposure and growth is key. People want a challenging position while looking to develop their skills and advance their career.
- Flexibility: Being able to have schedules and times in 2021 became a necessity. Likewise, it also contributes to the well-being of the employee.
- Purpose: It is necessary to have it defined and communicate it correctly. Workers want to be proud of what they do and where they work. Purpose, along with the company's brand and reputation, are among the top pull factors for all workers.
IT Market: Wages and Shortages
According to Information Technology, in 2021 there is a shortage of more than 10,000 qualified jobs to fill within the IT sector.
A curious fact is that the salaries of the IT industry remained better positioned than the rest of the salaries during 2020. This data is crucial for recruiters to be able to define the requirements of a search for personnel.
Among the reasons for this phenomenon can be mentioned; the high demand and occupation of professionals in this field, the need to obtain specific technical profiles and the growth of the business as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to these factors, computer technology salaries were above inflation during the 2020 period.
Es indiscutible que la industria IT fue una de las menos afectadas por la pandemia del 2020, e incluso se puede argumentar que algunas empresas del sector se vieron beneficiadas por la misma.
The most sought after positions during the pandemic year were: developers, programmers, data scientists, DevOps engineers, and cloud infrastructure specialists.
During the personnel search process to attract these profiles, it is important not only the compensation package, but also the challenge that the position represents, the project of which the employee will be part and the professional growth that the role to be filled implies.
All these factors must be taken into account when starting searches by the recruiting team.
Within the personnel search and retention tools, there is the need to create a comprehensive strategy to attract talent. It should include:
- Construction stage: Invest in staff training and development to grow the talent community.
- Acquisition stage: Search the external market for talent that cannot be built within the organization in the required times.
- Training stage: Create talent communities outside of the organization, including part-time, freelance, contract, or casual workers, to supplement existing skills.
- Accompaniment stage: Help people to move forward and migrate to new functions inside or outside the organization
IT market: bridging the gender gap
It is estimated that women occupy 30% of jobs in the software industry in Argentina, and that it will reach 40% in 2024 if the current trend continues, according to data released by Permanent Observatory of the Software and Information Services Industry (Opssi).
The latest observatory report also indicated that the participation of women in the industry grew in recent years, going from 26% in 2018 to 30% in 2020, which means an increase of 15% in two years.
The trend indicates that Argentina is on the right path to continue evolving in gender and inclusion issues in this regard. In fact, a relevant piece of information is that no exclusionary personnel search requirements have been defined in terms of gender issues in the industry.
Human Resources: Business Priority Needed
There is no doubt that the priorities in the area of human capital changed drastically during 2020. What began as a health crisis, became the greatest transformation of the workforce of the 21st century.
The sector in charge of the search and selection processes and the architects of the personnel selection strategies had to focus on their collaborators and their well-being, at the same time redefining or, in many cases, defining a consistent home policy and outlining a business strategy to carry it out.
Today's human resources leaders see the health and well-being of employees as a priority, followed by the need to create new work models, then by the importance of driving a greater focus on improving personal skills, learning and development.
With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the advancement of technology accelerated, and organizations had to adapt. Specifically, in the organizations that increased the digitization processes of operations , increased exponentially the need to search for IT personnel.
In the context of evolution and uncertainty that we are going through, companies must adapt to the demands and trends of the labor market. For this reason, the care of our teams, their integration and support from the human resources area has become a responsibility.
