Digital Transformation Through Agile Delivery
IT Agility AbilityTM
Digital Transformation Through Agile Delivery
IT Agility AbilityTM

The IT sector: What’s changed in the sector and recruitment

By . December 20, 2018
On the 15th June, Apsco hosted an event to discuss the nature of the IT sector and the changes that have occurred over the years. Guest speakers attended and gave their time to inform and discuss matters that have changed the IT Sector.

The event kicked off with Mike Restivo’s discussion on “Evolution of Recruitment”.

In a short period of time the nature of how recruitment operates has seen an exponential change. As Mike explained, these use to be a recruiter’s best friend.

The biggest change to ever grace the recruitment industry is moving towards software to create a database of clients and candidates. Long gone are the days of scouring through multiple filo-faxes or in worst cases, scrap pieces of paper looking for the contact details of ‘John Smith’ with the credentials that match what an employer is looking for. Technology has developed in such a way that with a few button presses here and a couple keywords, any and all candidates with the desired qualifications are at your disposal.

Throughout Mike’s discussion, he returned to the number one cause of how the recruitment industry is evolving. The catalyst and biggest influencer being technology, from what use to be a telephone only industry many years ago is seeing a massive boost in technology usage. Whether it is for storing clients and candidates details to communicating with candidates, technology is playing an important part in the growth of the recruitment industry.

The recruitment industry is seeing major growth in revenue with “85% of respondents meeting or exceeded their revenue goals in 2014, continuing a steady rate of growth from 2011 to the present. 93% expect a revenue increase in 2015, including 31% who expect an increase of 25% or more” explained Mike.

Dominic Harvey, agreed with Mike findings and with the notion that technology is pushing the industry forward, especially in the IT sector stating there has been a “1.7% annual increase in IT salary over 2008 to 2014...there is a high demand for IT specialist skills”. With the increase in technology it is a no brainer that there would be an increase for skills to cater for the new technology.

Dominic also brought some intriguing details with him regarding where people are working and explaining that there is now more people “working outside of London and becoming more of a reality for permanent employment”. This can be seen by 41% of recruitments being placed in the South East of England compared to 28% being placed in London. We could deduce that many IT sector workers can complete a large majority of their tasks remotely, working from home without the need to consider travelling to and from their place of work, giving more flexibility on where an employee can work. Another factor that has been raised is the expected salary in locations. Using permanent Web developers as an example, Dominic explained that the “expected salary [for a web developer] is £41,000; excluding London which is £40,000 but the London premium has gone down so the impact of working in London is not as strong.” Overall, the expect salaries for position outside of London are increasing.

As technology changes so do the desired skills. IT sector skills seem to fluctuate at a rapid speed and a desired skill a few months ago can be overshadowed by new technological needs. Dominic addressed the current growing skills are web developing skills in:

  • PHP
  • HTML
  • Agile
  • Python
  • IOS
  • Android

Previous years saw Oracle, SAP and Unix as the desired skills for web developers but they have dropped considerably. It is no surprise that IOS and Android skills have skyrocketed as more people are using mobile technology. But the ever evolving IT industry will change that.

What is interesting and what Mike pointed out is that the UK was slow to adopt mobile technology compared to the rest of the world.

Dominic also states the benefits that the IT sector has gained from technology, which are:

  • Optimised recruitment efficiency and effectiveness
  • Optimisation and growth in mobile recruitment – as more people are using the Internet for search for their next role and more convenient methods of browsing the Internet are at our fingertips such as Tablets and Mobile Phones.
  • Optimisation for CRM

It is clear to see that technology and the IT sector go hand in hand. The development in technology has enabled a more effective and efficient way for consultants to working with clients and candidates allowing for a more streamlined and quick process to meet specific needs. The IT sector is extremely success even despite the economical downturn, seeing a year on year rise in revenue and an increased demand in IT skills. With quicker and more powerful technologies, employees are no longer hindered by geographical locations for their next role and remote working give employees more options for employment.

The one aspect that has remained the same is monetary incentive but for permanent candidates extra benefits could be the deciding factor as they want to feel looked after. Contractors on the other hand would like new opportunities to improve their skills.

As we become more dependent on technology, the IT sector will see a fruitful future.

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