IT jobs: Firms risk losing staff over poor benefits
Bosses could find permanent IT roles hard to fill without improved packages, says Hays...
Employers could struggle to fill permanent IT roles if they fail to improve benefits, according to HaysPhoto: Shutterstock
Employers risk losing permanent IT staff to better-paid contract work because of poor pay and benefits, according to IT recruitment agency Hays Information Technology.
A Hays study, which surveyed IT salaries and benefits and staff aspirations, found discrepancies between what staff wanted and what they actually received.
Andy Bristow, manager at Hays, said in a statement that some employers in the IT sector are showing a worrying complacency towards their employees. "We would urge them to get to know their employees better, particularly key staff, and make sure they receive the support and development they call for," he said.
Overall, most IT employees who responded to the survey said they were unhappy with their benefits package. About 15 per cent of respondents said they were very dissatisfied with their benefits package and 61 per cent said they thought their employer could be more generous.
In some cases, options that were offered to staff as part of a benefits package did not reflect what staff would find helpful. One example given by the report is the option for staff to work shifts. Shift work was offered to 71 per cent of respondents but only 39 per cent of staff sought shift work.
In comparison, 73 per cent of IT staff surveyed said they would like to work flexitime but only 59 per cent were offered this facility.
As a result of poor benefit packages, Hays warns that IT staff are likely to start opting for contract roles over permanent positions, which offer more attractive salaries. Some 51 per cent of contractors who responded to the survey said they earned the equivalent of over £80,000 per annum compared with 12 per cent of permanent staff.
According to Bristow, the disparity in pay between contract and permanent roles, paired with inadequate benefit packages, could leave IT employers struggling to fill permanent positions.
A separate survey by another IT recruitment agency, ReThink Recruitment, reported that due to a shortage of skilled tech workers, staff retention was likely to be an issue for IT chiefs. With existing pressures on staff retention, the need for IT employers to improve benefits packages, as highlighted by the Hays report, is of even greater importance.
The Hays report also highlighted several areas in the IT sector where candidates remain in demand, including developers with experience of Java and .Net, IT security professionals, mobile application programmers, infrastructure-based roles and business intelligence positions.