2017 will be a tough year for IT managers. At least that’s what the 2017 Tech Career Outlook report by Spiceworks forecasts. The reason? New opportunities.
How can new opportunities be bad? Well, according to the report, 37% of IT pros will look for a new employer. This means the retention of employees will become a serious issue next year. 26% say they already plan to accept a new job.
So why a third of your IT team wants to leave? Two reasons. 69% of IT pros say they want to change jobs in order to advance their IT skills. Hence, why you should really think about offering proper trainings to your team.
64% also say they would change jobs for a better salary. 40% say they want to work at a company which makes IT more of a priority. 40% also point burning out as a reason why they want something new. 38% want a better work-life balance and 33% also say they want better benefits. Only 26% want to work with a more talented IT team and 24% say they want better work-from-home options. 22% say they simply want a better job title.
What’s more, 59% of all respondents say they believe they are underpaid. Only 24% expect a raise more than 5%. Even less, 12%, expect a promotion.
IT pros though are well in tune with the times. They know the job market for them is very favorable. 70% of respondents expect this to continue in 2017 and motivates them to look for better options.
It’s not all bad, though. 61% say they feel appreciated by their current employer. They just need that little extra bit to keep them.
IT pros love new skills
New skills highlight this. 62% of respondents say they want to improve their cybersecurity skills. 56% say they also want to acquire new networking skills. Virtualization skills come in third at 45%.
Good IT managers usually always seek the feedback of their team. They try to pinpoint problems and solve them as soon as possible. Even so, there are problems with the communication between IT and the top management of companies. 55% of respondents say making management understand the importance of IT priorities is the biggest challenge for 2017. A close second, at 53%, is getting the top leaders to approve and fund IT projects. Also at 53% comes the need to ensure corporate data is secure.
So, there you have it. A clearer picture of what you have to do in order to minimize the risk of losing members from your IT team. CourseDot can help you with giving your IT pros the better skills they desire. With better skills the rest should come together easier.