Restless IT Workers Looking for New Jobs

America’s professional IT class is quite restless. About 60 percent of employees engaged in information technology work are looking for a new job as summer comes to a close. They are seeking new opportunities to stimulate their creativity, according to a new survey by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a trade association for the computer industry, based in suburban Chicago.

The survey of approximately 1,000 IT professionals discovered that 58 percent are currently looking for new jobs, and that four out of five of those looking for new jobs said their job search is “somewhat” or “very” active.

“Tech workers who stayed put in their jobs over several years of uncertainty in our industry are clearly looking to move on now that we’re in a period of growth,” said Neill Hopkins, vice president, skills development, CompTIA.

Higher Pay

To be sure, the search for higher pay is the top reason why tech workers are scrolling through career Web sites and digital help-wanted ads. Seventy-three percent of those looking for work said they wanted more money. IT workers are interested in more than just an elevated paycheck, though. Close to two-thirds of tech workers surveyed said there is “no opportunity for advancement” in their current job. What’s more, 58 percent said they are looking for a “new” challenge, the survey said.

About 60 percent of the IT professionals looking for new jobs have been in their current position for three or more years; and 52 percent have toiled for their current employer for at least three years.

A quarter of those surveyed work with companies that are in the IT business, but 16 percent work in education, another 15 percent in government, an additional 8 percent in healthcare and the remaining 7 percent in manufacturing.

“Some organizations will lose the IT workers who’ve been responsible for building and maintaining their technology infrastructure,” said Hopkins. “But employers looking to build internal IT expertise should be able to draw from a large pool of technology professionals eager for new challenges.

“The survey findings are a mixed blessing for employers,” added Hopkins.

Additional Findings

Another survey of U.S. employment finds that the number of workers who have jobs increased this August.

The Monster Employment Index — from the Web site Monster.com — rose 8 points to 173 in August, a 22-percent gain on the year-earlier level.

The index demonstrated that higher demand for white-collar occupations such as management, finance and information technology, is the underlying strength in the U.S. economy, despite media reports of the cooling housing market.

“The August findings indicate a strong rebound following the hiring doldrums typically seen in the summer months, and signify we are heading back to a business-as-usual environment,” said Steve Pogorzelski, group president at Monster Worldwide. “Increased demand for managers and executives — along with continuing strong demand for skilled IT workers — is particularly encouraging.”

Retailers are aggressively promoting the back-to-school season, he added. That’s not only increasing sales, it requires additional employees to service consumers, noted Pogorzelski.

As a result of the boom, CIOs are now claiming to have a hard time hiring skilled IT workers.

A study by the Society for Information Management (SIM) said that by 2010, more than 21 million new jobs will be created in the U.S., but only 17 million new employees will enter the workforce to fill the jobs. The federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics own findings indicate the IT industry is the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. economy, with a projected 68 percent increase in output growth through 2012, meaning the industry will take an even bigger blow.