IT Recruitment Challenges in 2017

The word from recruitment specialists to employers is that challenges in IT recruitment for 2017 will include a ‘High-Demand, Low Supply’ hiring landscape, and the need to adapt to the needs and expectations of millennials and Generation Z.

Complications and Challenges

The complications that businesses now face in areas such as security, big-data and cloud technologies, are among the reasons why IT recruitment has become an important issue.

The IT recruitment landscape, however, means that employers face many challenges in finding the skills they need. These challenges include a competitive, ‘high-demand but low supply’ hiring landscape, continued growth in the IT market, and the need to adapt to new technologies and the changing needs and expectations of the workforce. With these challenges in mind, employers can help equip themselves by recognising 8 of the key IT recruitment trends that are likely to affect them in 2017.

Trend 1 – User Interfaces Need To Be Easy-to-Use

Recruitment commentators are warning companies that since the bulk of the workforce is made up of millennials and Generation ‘Z’, when it comes recruitment (and technologies that they are expected to used at work), user interfaces need to be simple and user experience made as easy and intuitive as possible. This is because people from these generations expect (and are used to) easy-to-use technology and they are known to dislike complexity.

Trend 2 – More Technology Used in Interviews

Recruitment specialists are also reporting an increase in the use of technology in job interviews for 2017. Face to face, in-person Q & As are now being replaced by live chat, video interviewing, and more interactive processes such as whiteboard sessions.

Trend 3 – Companies Need To Look Further Afield For IT Candidates

Reports of a less than 2% unemployment rate for IT roles means that employers will need to look further afield geographically for candidates and will, therefore, need to consider using video interviewing.

Trend 4 – Specialists Rather Than Generalists Sought

One other trend identified by recruitment commentators is that in IT hiring, employers are now more likely to be looking for and hiring candidates with specialist knowledge and experience, rather than generalists. This is because IT roles in companies are now more focused on niche areas.

Trend 5 – Freedom and Flexibility

The trend of some specialist IT workers preferring the independence, freedom and flexibility of moving from one client to the next for specific jobs on temporary contracts (the gig economy), rather than staying with one main employer is forecast to continue in 2017.

Trend 6 – All Candidates Now Need IT Skills

The word from employers and recruitment specialist alike is that all roles in today’s business environment tend to involve the use of IT in some capacity, and therefore a reasonable level of IT skills is now expected in candidates across multiple industry sectors, simply to be considered for employment.

Trend 7 – Higher Pay For Technology Skills Expected

One message that recruitment analysts have for employers in 2017 is that they should expect to have to have to pay premium rates to attract and retain people with the right technology skills.

Trend 8 – Human Recruitment Specialists Will Still Be Still Needed

One (perhaps unsurprising) prediction for 2017 by recruitment experts is that their own skills, knowledge, experience and processes can’t be fully replaced by AI, bots, and other ‘robot’ technologies. This, of course, means that businesses are likely to need to use (and to pay for) specialist IT recruitment services to attract the right candidates.

Recruitment commentators have however acknowledged that some use of AI and bots can be used to speed up and streamline the administrative aspects of recruitment, and could, therefore enable improve performance from recruiters in the near future.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Adoption of evolving technologies (and the challenges posed by it), compliance and IT governance issues, and IT security challenges mean that businesses in 2017 and beyond may be more likely to require people with more and more specialised IT skills. This could come at a cost and could require businesses to understand and adapt more to the needs and expectations of millennials and Generation Z.