* Research indicates that IT retention efforts may be working
New research from staffing firm Spherion indicates that IT retention efforts may be effective. According to the company’s quarterly IT Employment Report, only 39% of U.S. IT workers planned to look for a new job in the second quarter. That’s down from 48% the first quarter of 2006.
Interestingly, though, IT workers are also feeling more optimistic about their employment options. Spherion’s IT Confidence Index rose to 58.4 for the second quarter, up 1.3 points from the previous quarter. A score of 50 or above indicates a positive confidence level, and the index is calculated from the results of employee views on the economy, job availability, ability to find new work and the future of their current employer. By contrast, the Employee Confidence Index for the general U.S. workforce was 57.6 for the second quarter.
“The data from this quarter’s report indicates an increase in confidence among IT workers that they could find new jobs if they wanted to, yet the number of those intending to begin a new job search declined. These workers are clearly gun shy about pursuing new jobs despite their availability, which may be the result of employer retention efforts,” says Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Spherion Professional Services. “Wages are growing across the board, so IT workers may be thinking, ‘If I’m getting a pay increase, why leave?’ “
The IT Employment Report is based on a poll of 694 IT workers. Click here for more results of the report.
