A survey of 1,800 IT professionals and senior managers has found a quarter of tech workers in the UK are considering quitting their jobs in the next six months.
The study, by security and service management software company Ivanti, found that IT professionals are 1.4 times more likely to “quiet quit” — soft-pedalling on the job while looking for other work — than people in other professions.
The company estimated that the movement of IT workers in the UK could cost employers more than £19 billion ($24.5 billion).
The study said that 73 percent of IT and computer security workers reported increasing workloads, resulting in 1 in 4 proclaiming “burnout.”
On the post-pandemic work-from-home trend, Ivanti reported conflicting results. Eighty-four percent said they would like to continue to work remotely at least some of the time. However, 23 percent felt a loss of connection to colleagues while working from home, compared with 17 percent of office workers. At the same time, tech workers said they were 2.5 times more likely to work longer hours when during periods away from their main office.
Optimism around quitting jobs reflects broader research that finds a buoyant jobs market despite global economic uncertainties and fear of recession. Following a period which saw 150,000 jobs cuts across the tech sector, Garter said in March that companies would still find it tough to recruit IT staff.
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In a of around 18,000 employees conducted in November and December 2022, the analyst said 86 percent of CIOs reported more competition for qualified candidates and 73 percent worried about IT talent attrition.
Mbula Schoen, Gartner senior director and analyst, said highly skilled tech workers were likely to continue to command relatively high salaries as employers compete for their services.
“Compensation is not going anywhere. It is the number one attraction and acquisition driver. Benchmark compensation and ensure that you’re not too far away from the market,” Schoen said.
Jeff Abbott, Ivanti CEO, said organizations continue to struggle to retain IT talent, costing them productivity gains and affecting their bottom line. He encouraged them to “embrace” automation to help slash IT workloads. ®
