IT Worker Confidence Dips Slightly in Second Quarter of 2014

ATLANTA, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Randstad Technologies Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among technology workers, declined slightly in the second quarter of 2014 to 58.7 from 60.0 the previous quarter. The quarterly study, conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of talent and solutions provider Randstad Technologies, showed technology workers have maintained the most consistent levels of employee confidence compared to other professions surveyed by Randstad. The study was conducted in April, May and June of 2014 among 186 U.S. IT workers aged 18 and older.

Despite waning confidence in the strength of the economy and job availability, IT workers showed greater confidence in their ability to find a new job and in their own personal employment situation. Only 34 percent of technology employees believe the economy is getting stronger, a 10 percentage point decline from the first quarter of 2014. In addition, nearly half (45%) believe there are fewer jobs available this quarter. However, when it comes to IT workers' personal situation, 51 percent are confident in their ability to find a new job, and 63 percent are confident in the future of their current employer—five percentage point increases for both measures from Q1.

"As the economy recovers at a quicker pace, we see many of our clients prioritizing efficiency and therefore implementing a lean IT model composed of a technology team of internal resources and outsourced talent," said Bob Dickey, Group President of Technology and Engineering at Randstad. "In fact, many companies are outsourcing all or certain segments of their IT platform, particularly for hard-to-find IT skills.

"For example, there are two high demand segments of the IT sector which represent both traditional skills and the most cutting-edge," continued Dickey. "SAP database skills may seem outdated, but the demand is still quite high. In part because SAP isn't ground-breaking, finding database resources is difficult today and will only grow more challenging in the future.

"Then there's the Internet of Things (IoT) – predicted by Gartner to grow to 26 billion units in 2020, a nearly 30-fold increase from 2009," said Dickey. "A recent survey of 400 IT professionals in the U.S. and U.K., commissioned by Infoblox, found 90 percent of respondents are either planning or already implementing solutions to cope with the increased demands on networking caused by IoT projects. Seventy-three percent of respondents believe they are very or quite likely to receive more staff next year due to IoT demands."

Q2 2014 Survey Highlights:

Confidence in the Economy Wanes in Second Quarter

• Technology professionals' confidence in the overall economy decreased by 10 percentage points this quarter, with only 34 percent believing the economy is getting stronger.

Workers' Sense of Job Security Rebounds

• Nearly three-quarters (73%) of IT workers reported it is not likely they will lose their job in the next 12 months, an increase of seven percentage points from 66 percent last quarter.

Fewer IT Workers Likely to Job Hunt

• Only 29 percent of IT employees say they are likely to look for a new job in the next year, compared to 35 percent in the previous quarter, while 57 percent say they are not likely to do so.

More than Half of IT Workers Confident in Ability to Find New Jobs

• Fifty-one percent of IT workers say they are confident in their ability to find a new job, while only 17 percent do not feel confident in their ability to land a new job.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad Technologies from April 7-9, May 8-12 and June 4-6, 2014 among 3,352 adults ages 18 and older, of which 186 are employed in IT. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Randstad Technologies
Randstad Technologies has been connecting top companies around the globe with the expert technology talent and solutions that drives their success since 1984. Our deep industry expertise and full-service capabilities—Recruitment, Consulting, Projects and Outsourcing—enable organizations to be agile, productive and ahead in the field with their wide network of specialists and flexible solutions. For more information, visit www.randstadtechnologies.com.

About Randstad US
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the U.S., Randstad holds top positions in permanent placement, office and administrative, IT and accounting and finance. From professional services, commercial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, to managed services and more, Randstad delivers a comprehensive range of temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and outsourced placement services. With its 5,324 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of approximately 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of nearly 1,000 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Learn more at www.randstadusa.com and access Randstad's panoramic U.S. thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.

SOURCE Randstad US