SURVEY FINDINGS IT PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES. Subject: Skills Sustainability Snapshot

Transcription

1 2013 SURVEY FINDINGS IT PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES Subject: Skills Sustainability Snapshot To optimize how organizations attract, develop and retain great IT people, it is critical to evaluate what happens at the line levels of IT. TEKsystems Skills Sustainability Snapshot survey provides insight into what s on the minds of those driving the IT industry.

2 Which of the following will have the biggest impact on organizations in 2013 and beyond? Rank Technology Stack Ranking Score* 1 Cloud Computing Security 89 3 Mobility 60 4 Business Intelligence 43 5 Big Data 34 6 Virtualization 28 7 Shortage of IT Workers 27 8 Consumerization of IT/BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) 22 9 Social Networking Data Center Consolidation Enterprise Resource Planning VoIP / unified communications (UC) 13 IT professionals believe cloud computing will have the biggest impact in 2013, followed by IT security and mobility. They view VoIP / unified communications as the least impactful technology for *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 2

3 Rate your level of agreement with the following statements. The Changing IT Workforce Demand for IT professionals will always outpace supply since technology is always evolving. 27% 42% 12% 1 5% 1% There is a shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. (demand is greater than the supply) 19% 37% 18% 18% 8% 1% The company I currently work for struggles with attracting, retaining and developing their IT workforce. 16% 29% 2 20% 6% 6% The shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. makes life as an IT professional better because I am in such high demand. 1 32% 2 2 8% 2% The shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. makes life as an IT professional difficult because such high expectations are placed on me. 11% 32% 25% 24% 7% 2% The newest generations of IT professionals are self-taught and typically do not pursue a degree in computer science. 11% 29% 29% 21% 4% 6% The shortage of graduates with computer science degrees will negatively affect the future IT workforce. 8% 31% 27% 24% 6% 4% There are an inadequate number of students graduating with computer science degrees. 8% 27% 31% 20% 6% 8% The number of students graduating with computer science degrees has little impact on the shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. 6% 26% 29% 26% 9% 4% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Over two-thirds of IT professionals (69 percent) responded that demand for IT professionals will always outpace supply since technology is always evolving. Over half (56 percent) of the respondents believe that there is a shortage of IT professionals in the U.S. Forty-five percent of the IT professionals responding said that their company struggles with attracting, retaining and developing their IT workforce. TEKsystems.com 3

4 Rate your level of agreement with the following statements based on the following: There are fewer young people choosing IT as a career because. Fewer Young IT Professionals Trends like outsourcing and cloud technologies; IT jobs are not sustainable compared with other professions. 9% 36% 20% 29% 5% 2% IT professionals are not paid as much as those in other professions. 7% 26% 17% 41% 7% 2% There are NOT fewer young people choosing IT as a career. 5% 27% 32% 22% 4% 9% IT jobs are not as prestigious as jobs in other professions. 7% 2 20% 34% 15% 1% IT jobs are not as fun/exciting as jobs in other professions. 5% 14% 20% 39% 21% 1% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Almost half of IT professionals (45 percent) believe trends like outsourcing and cloud technologies create an environment where IT jobs are not sustainable compared to other professions. About a third (34 percent) disagreed. A third of the respondents said that IT professionals are not paid as much as those in other professions. TEKsystems.com 4

5 What is the likelihood that educational institutions offer programs that focus on the following technology areas? IT Programs Offered Security 4 42% 6% 5% 1% Cloud 30% 4 14% 9% 1% Business Intelligence 25% 44% 17% 10% 1% 4% Mobile 22% % Virtualization 2 40% 18% 14% 1% 4% Social Media 2 40% 18% 1 VoIP / unified communications (UC) 19% 42% 21% 1 Big Data 14% 39% 22% 17% 6% Extremely likely Likely Neutral Unlikely Extremely unlikely Don't know Educational institutions have the greatest likelihood of offering focused programs in security over other IT programs, according to 85 percent of the survey respondents. Although more than half of respondents believe Big Data courses are offered, IT professionals felt there was the least likelihood of focused programs offered in Big Data. TEKsystems.com 5

6 Which technology areas SHOULD educational institutions provide programs for? Rank Technology Stack Ranking Score* 1 Security Mobile 50 3 Cloud 49 4 Business Intelligence 40 5 Big Data 28 6 Virtualization 25 7 Social Media 18 8 VoIP / unified communications (UC) 12 IT professionals believe educational institutions should provide an IT security-focused curriculum, followed by programs in mobile and cloud technologies. VoIP / unified communications was thought of as the last area needing focused programs. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 6

7 What IT skills are more likely to lead to contract/ contingent work vs. permanent employment? Permanent vs. Contract/Contingent Employment Developer 70% 30% Programmer 61% 39% Project Manager 55% 45% Help Desk / Technical Support 52% 48% Software Engineer 51% 49% Data Scientist / Statistician 45% 55% Architect 45% 55% Business Analyst 42% 58% Systems Analyst 41% 59% Network Engineer 37% 6 Database Administrator 2 77% Network Administrator 22% 78% Contract/contingent employment Permanent employment The developer skill set was the most likely to be employed on a contract/contingent basis, per 70 percent of IT professionals. A network administrator was considered to be the most likely to be employed on a permanent basis by over three-quarters (78 percent) of respondents. TEKsystems.com 7

8 What is the best thing about being an IT professional? Rank Response Stack Ranking Score* 1 Good money Exciting, cutting edge work 92 3 IT is a sustainable field where demand will always be high 82 4 Greater job market opportunities (ability to work in a wide range of places) 78 5 IT is interesting / coolness factor of IT 53 6 Opportunities for career advancement 38 7 I like the types of people I work with 38 8 Flexible schedule opportunities 36 9 Good benefits 29 IT professionals believe that good pay is the best thing about being an IT professional. This sentiment is followed by their thought that the IT field is exciting and has cutting edge work. Respondents gave the least amount of positive considerations to the benefits received. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 8

9 Which industries would you most prefer to work in as an IT professional? Rank Industry Stack Ranking Score* 1 Information Technology (Hardware, Software, Services) Aerospace and Defense 48 3 Healthcare 47 4 Financial Services, Banking, Insurance 40 5 Government 32 5 Education 32 6 Professional and Business Services 27 6 Telecommunications 27 7 Energy and Utilities 21 8 Manufacturing 12 8 Leisure and Hospitality 12 9 Retail 6 10 Consumer Goods 5 10 Transportation 5 11 Agriculture 4 11 Natural Resources and Mining 4 12 Construction 3 13 Wholesale 2 14 Food and Beverage 1 IT professionals say they would prefer to work in the Information Technology industry (hardware, software, services), followed by aerospace and defense. The food and beverage industry is the least most desirable industry to work in. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 9

10 If you could work for any company in the world, it would be: Rank Company Stack Ranking Score* 1 Google Apple 49 3 Microsoft 34 4 IBM 31 5 Walt Disney 30 6 Amazon.com 24 7 Other 23 8 General Electric 13 9 BMW Southwest Airlines Berkshire Hathaway 9 12 Coca-Cola 7 12 Johnson & Johnson M 6 13 Costco Wholesale 6 14 Procter & Gamble 4 15 American Express 3 15 Caterpillar 3 16 FedEx 2 16 Starbucks 2 17 McDonald s 1 IT professionals top choice of companies to work for, out of Forbes 2012 top 20 Most Admirable Companies to Work For, is Google. The second most preferred company to work for is Apple, followed by Microsoft and IBM. McDonald s is the least preferred company to work for out of the Forbes top 20 list. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 10

11 Why did you choose the companies from Question 9 (open response)? Reason to Choose Most Preferable Company to Work For Innovation / cutting edge technology 18% Environment / corporate culture / values 16% Large / proven record / longevity / stability 16% Prior experience with company / products / services 11% Branding / leaders in Industry 10% General interest / "they're awesome" 6% Pay / benefits / perks 6% Opportunity for self growth 6% Other 5% Business model Location Eighteen percent of IT professionals chose their most preferable company to work for based on their desire for innovation / cutting edge technology. Location was the least popular reason, claiming only 3 percent of responses. TEKsystems.com 11

12 Rate your level of agreement with the following statement: In the future, more IT professionals will be aligned to and working for various areas of the business (finance, operations, marketing, etc. ) rather than working within the IT department. Future IT Focus 27% 40% 12% 14% 4% 2% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Over a quarter (27 percent) of respondents strongly agree that in the future, more IT professionals will be aligned to and working for various areas of the business (finance, operations, marketing, etc.) rather than within the IT department. Over two-thirds either strongly agree or agree with this statement, while almost one in five don t believe this to be true. TEKsystems.com 12

13 Rate your level of agreement with the following statement: In order to be successful in IT in the future, I will need to have strong business skills as well as IT skills. Importance of Business Skills 54% 39% 6% 2% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Ninety-three percent of IT professionals agree that success in IT in the future will call for strong business skills as well as IT skills. Over half (54 percent) strongly agree that this is true. TEKsystems.com 13

14 Which of the following business/soft skills and attributes are most important for IT professionals to improve in order to be successful? Rank Business/Soft Skill Stack Ranking Score* 1 Verbal/oral communication Understanding of the business/industry 61 3 Problem solving 44 4 Written communication 39 5 Leadership 37 6 Flexibility and adaptability 33 7 Project management 30 8 Teamwork 24 9 Attitude Initiative Organization 14 IT professionals ranked verbal/oral communication skills as the business/soft skill most important for IT professionals to improve in order to be successful. Organizational skills are thought of as the business/soft skills and attributes with the least need to improve in order to be successful. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 14

15 Rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I worry about my ability to have a long-term career within the IT industry. IT Workers Thoughts on Career Sustainability I worry about my ability to have a long-term career within the IT industry. 16% 26% 18% 24% 15% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Forty-two percent of IT professionals agree with the following statement: I worry about my ability to have a long-term career within the IT industry. Thirty-nine percent disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. TEKsystems.com 15

16 Why did you either strongly agree or agree with the statement, I worry about my ability to have a long-term career within the IT industry.? (open response) Why IT Professionals Worry About Career Sustainability Pace of IT Younger workers have most useful experience/ageism/ preference for younger workers Need for experience, training, certs/my certs are not as valued 12% 15% 14% Increase of outsourcing 11% Prevalence of contract positions 10% Struggling to find employment 9% Economic reasons 9% Offshoring 4% Other Instability/uncertainty in IT/IT pros are "first to go" Lack of opportunities Technology is replacing people aspect Lack of "track" for IT 2% Bad pay 1% Respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, I worry about my ability to have a long-term career within the IT industry, primarily due to the fast pace of the IT industry, with 15 percent of responses. Fourteen percent indicated that the younger workforce is given preference due to their age and skills. TEKsystems.com 16

17 At what age do you think you ll be able to retire? IT Professionals Age of Retirement Before the age of 40 1% % % % % % % After the age of 75 4% I don t believe I ll be able to retire 2 Almost one quarter (23 percent) of IT respondents don t think they are going to be able to retire. Forty-five percent said that they think they will be able to retire sometime when they are years old. Ten percent thought they will retire sometime before the age of 55. TEKsystems.com 17

18 Rate your level of agreement with the following statements. Working After Retirement I would work as a consultant in IT after I retire. 20% 48% 16% 8% 4% 4% I will continue to work as a part-time employee in IT after I retire. 15% 35% 24% 15% 5% 7% I would continue to work after I retire, but not in IT 15% 38% 22% 11% 10% I would not continue to in IT after I retire because it would be too difficult to keep up with the new IT trends and training that I would need to be successful. 10% 2 40% 18% 6% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree Don't know Even after retirement, 68 percent of respondents said they would work as an IT consultant. Fewer respondents (50 percent) plan to continue to work as a part-time employee in IT after retirement. Thirteen percent of respondents said they would not work after retirement because it would be too difficult to keep up with the trends and training needed for IT. TEKsystems.com 18

19 How is your organization insuring against the impact of retiring IT baby boomers? Rank Company Actions Stack Ranking Score* 1 Increasing training and cross-training to develop younger employees Taking steps to attract new workers/replacements 94 3 Hiring retired employees as consultants or temporary workers 69 4 Offering flexible work arrangements 64 5 Developing succession planning 63 6 Increasing training and cross-training to retain baby boomers 30 7 Offering financial incentives for them not to retire 27 8 Offering part-time positions to attract older workers 21 9 Other 13 IT professionals said that increased training for the development of younger employees was the top way their companies are preparing for the retirement of baby boomers. Taking steps to attract new workers was the second highest response. Offering part-time positions to attract older workers was the least common response. *The Stack Ranking Score is a weighted average from 1 to 100 with 100 being associated with the top chosen response. TEKsystems.com 19

20 ABOUT TEKSYSTEMS People are at the heart of every successful business initiative. At TEKsystems, we understand people. Every year we deploy over 80,000 IT professionals at 6,000 client sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Our deep insights into IT human capital management enable us to help our clients achieve their business goals while optimizing their IT workforce strategies. We provide IT staffing solutions, IT talent management expertise and IT services to help our clients plan, build and run their critical business initiatives. Through our range of quality-focused delivery models, we meet our clients where they are, and take them where they want to go, the way they want to get there. Visit us online at TEKsystems 7437 Race Road, Hanover, MD TEKsystems, Inc. is an Allegis Group, Inc. company. Certain names, products and services listed in the document are trademarks, register trademarks, or service marks of their respective companies. Copyright 2013 TEKsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.