What have we learnt this year in Tech?

The demand for technology skills, whilst impacted in the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, has remained resilient throughout due to the role technology has played. As we moved in to 2021, we saw a continued increase in investment from businesses of all sizes as they looked to improve their technology platforms and applications to simply remain competitive in the markets they operate. This has led to demand for specialist technology skills that has never been seen before, resulting in a shift upwards in salaries and contractor day rates. Throw in IR35 legislation, Brexit and home/hybrid working, the recruitment of tech staff has never been more challenging.

Having spent the last couple of months discussing plans with a number of our key customers to understand more about their plans for 2022, it is very apparent that this investment will continue and in the majority of cases, this will be increased. It's also very apparent that the biggest challenge and barrier to the delivery of these plans is sourcing the necessary skills. The challenge of recruiting, along with retaining technology talent, has never been more prevalent. 

With the insight and experience we have of working with businesses of all sizes, it's clear that there are strategies and processes that certain companies are adopting that are really enabling them to deliver against their plans. On the flip side, we still see a significant number of companies who's process and attraction strategy has not evolved since the pandemic and is now resulting in significant challenges and pressure on how to deliver against their technology strategy.

There are various reasons behind this and it would take a while to list so if you’d like to know more, I’m always very happy to share on a 1-2-1 basis at any time. Get in touch today -James Smith