Talent-Driven IT Market: Trends and Challenges for Lasting Change

The IT sector is one of the least affected by the dynamics of the changing work processes in the last year and a half. We see a serious increase in the needs of this sector and, accordingly, in the demand for talent in the industry.
The market principle, which states that demand determines supply, combined with the fact that there are more open positions in the labor market than there are specialists with the required skills, poses a huge challenge to IT companies in our country.

How is the current market situation changing standard job search practices?

Good candidates are those who choose

Some of the already established specialists in the sector have a choice of over 400 positions in front of them. For this reason, it is completely justified for them to select carefully and explore and consider the possibilities in front of them down to the smallest detail.

The need for answers to many preliminary questions increases for the candidate to properly assess whether he is willing to enter a process for a specific role and even more - whether to accept a specific job offer.

While until recently interesting projects and work with new technologies were key for the IT market, now we are seeing diversification in terms of expectations from the candidates themselves.

What are some new practices required of employers?

It doesn’t come as a surprise that most potential candidates are looking for good conditions, but the truth is that this is not all.

At the moment, the reputation of the employer and his correctness come to the forefront. A major challenge is to maintain clear communication between managers and employees for follow-up and timely response in problem situations.

A sense of security in the workplace is also a top priority for employees. Outsourcing companies have taken a step forward before product companies in this instance, demonstrating the ability to keep their teams whole and ensure business continuity.

The feeling of belonging to a team also occupies a central position in employees’ long-term vision and future in the company, along with good communication between team members and a relaxed work environment.

More often than not, the company they work for is more important for people in the industry, than the technological direction they want to follow. As a result, we increasingly see professionals ready to move to new technologies.

We observe the expectations of a large number of candidates in the sector, who hope that remote work will become a standard practice even after the pandemic and in most cases this is the main motivator for them to change employers. On the one hand, this gives more freedom to employees and opens horizons for professionals working outside the capital and large cities, but on the other hand, puts companies that do not yet accept this model of work in a stalemate.

At the same time, many other talents want to have access to office space at all costs. The organization of work is changing drastically and allows for the development and the prosperity of the most adaptable and flexible companies.

What do we advise companies to consider when hiring talent?

We can see clearly that flexibility in a company is a key factor for its success.

Every employer expects ready-made talent, but ready-made people talent is a rarity in the market, and they know their value. Unfortunately, not many companies can meet these expectations. However, we are seeing a major market change from employers, for whom attracting new people is a priority.

We try to make it clear to the talent-seeking side that the potential of a candidate is key, and that less experienced but motivated talent should also be given a chance. We make efforts to balance some of the extremely unrealistic expectations of some candidates. We try to adapt to the labor market as much as possible and to balance supply and demand so that the two sides can meet in the middle.

We, at Manpower, also offer flexible solutions in the recruitment process. We support applicants and companies looking for temporary or part-time employment. We believe that adaptation to the new normal is necessary and is what would lead businesses to certain success.