IT Worker Confidence Hits New Record High in Mid-year 2015

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Oct 22, 2015, 03:01 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IT worker confidence has reached a new all-time high, according to the mid-year 2015 Randstad Technologies Employee Confidence Index (ECI). The study, a measure of overall confidence among technology workers conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad Technologies, shows overall confidence for IT workers rose 5.8 points to 65.1 in mid-year 2015, up from 59.3 at year-end 2014. In addition, technology professionals reported growing confidence in the strength of the economy and in their own personal employment situations.

According to the mid-year 2015 report, 46 percent of IT workers believe the economy is getting stronger and 38 percent believe there are more jobs available. Additionally, 60 percent of IT workers are confident in their ability to find a new job. However, despite confidence in increased availability of jobs and the ability to find new jobs, more than half of IT workers (53%) say it is unlikely they will look for a new job in the next 12 months. Moreover, 67 percent say they are confident in the future of their current employers.

The technology sector continues to be a bright spot amid slowing national job growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' September 2015 Employment Situation Summary, employment in professional and business services -- which includes much of the technology industry -- increased by 31,000 new jobs in September. Additionally, the IT sector has averaged 45,000 job gains per month so far during this year. Computer systems design and related services led the growth in September with 7,000 new jobs added.

"In mid-year 2015, IT professionals indicated the highest confidence levels we've ever witnessed in the decade that we've conducted the Randstad Technologies ECI survey," said Randstad's Bob Dickey, group president, technology and engineering. "Given the rapid increase in demand for technology skills to help companies assess trends and implement emerging technologies, we will likely see even higher confidence levels among IT professionals in the future. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that IT employment will continue to outperform through 2022, growing 18 percent compared to 10.8 percent for total employment."

Dickey continued, "This is the year of mobility, big data and cloud computing and these rapidly evolving fields are driving tremendous demand for IT professionals with related skills. With Google's recent change to its algorithm to prioritize websites with a strong mobile experience, and consumers' growing adoption of mobile use, companies are in greater need for skills such as iOS and Android application development. Cloud computing and cloud security jobs are abundant right now, with 3.9 million jobs in the U.S. affiliated with cloud computing and 384,478 in IT alone. Big data is another high growth segment within the technology market. In fact, a recent Wanted Analytics report found that interest in VMWare expertise spiked in the first six months of 2015, followed by a 396 percent increase in application development skill demand and a 387 percent increase in open source technology expertise."

Mid-year 2015 Survey Highlights:

Overall confidence among IT professionals reaches all-time high

The Randstad Technologies ECI reached an all-time high at 65.1 in mid-year 2015, up from 59.3 at year-end 2014.

Majority of IT workers intend to remain at current job

More than half of IT workers (53%) say it is unlikely they will look for another job over the next 12 months.

High demand drives confidence in job security

Sixty-six percent of IT professionals say it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, which is likely largely influenced by multiple sources' predictions that demand for skilled IT workers will continue to rise.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad Technologies from January 13-15, March 11-13, April 15-17 and June 9-11, 2015 among 3,978 participants ages 18 and older, of which 170 were employed in IT. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Industry-level ECI estimates referenced prior to 2015 were based on six monthly waves of aggregated data. The mid-year and year-end industry ECI estimates in 2015 are computed using four waves of periodic data collected across the indicated timeframe. 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 $22.9 billion global provider of HR services. As one of the largest staffing organizations in the United States, Randstad provides temporary, temporary-to-hire and permanent placement services each week to over 100,000 people through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Employing over 5,300 recruiting experts, the company is a top provider of outsourcing, staffing, consulting and projects and workforce solutions within the areas of Engineering, Finance & Accounting, Healthcare, Human Resources, IT, Legal, Manufacturing & Logistics, Office & Administration, Pharma and Sales & Marketing. 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