Tech Recruitment Predictions Businesses Should Take Note Of

There can be no doubt that there has been a seismic change in the way that tech businesses recruit staff. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a greater level of working from home, flexibility and changes in career paths for individuals. Interestingly, in the wake of the pandemic, it was the tech sector that saw the largest percentage of staff leaving as a part of The Great Resignation. 

But, just as things have changed in recruitment for roles in the tech industry, we should not expect those changes to be over and done with. Indeed, there are a number of important predictions about what tech recruitment is going to look like over the coming years. In this article, we take a look at the predictions that tech businesses really need to take note of.

You need to prioritise cybersecurity (and not just with cybersecurity staff)

It is well known that cybersecurity is a major problem for businesses of all sizes and across all industries. It is also known that the problem is getting worse. In fact, cybercrime is forecast to have a global cost of $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Clearly, this is a problem that every company needs to take seriously.

This is likely to lead to a new trend in hiring staff. And while you might assume that this trend would see an upward trajectory for hiring cybersecurity professionals. This may well be the case, but it is also likely that tech firms will need to start having cybersecurity in mind with all of their recruitment. 

No matter what kind of role they are recruiting for, an understanding of the issues surrounding cybersecurity is key. Yes, staff members can be provided with training, but having at least some background understanding of cybersecurity can make the whole process much easier. 

Contractors can help you overcome the skills gap

Another common problem that is having an effect across all areas of technology is the issue of the technology skills gap. You might be surprised to learn that 70% of technology businesses face the problem of a skills shortage. There are simply too many jobs that require technical skills and expertise, and not enough experienced staff to fill those roles.

So, it has become necessary for recruiters in technology to look at other options when they need to get certain skills. One notable way to overcome the skills gap issue is to work with contractors. While your business might be used to hiring full-time staff and having all of the skills it needs in-house, working with contractors can be equally effective.

With the current political and economic climate being somewhat tumultuous, many tech giants are actively slowly down their hiring process. In this case, some companies might find that contractors are able to provide you with the skills that you need over a short period and that this is actually more financially prudent than hiring a full-time member of the team even if you don’t need those skills all year round. 

International hiring will be normalised

There can be no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way that many business owners look at their companies. Too many business leaders were stuck to the idea that even modern tech businesses needed the structure of an office, and standard office hours in order to keep the team productive and effective.

If Covid-19 did anything positive, it is that it showed businesses that it was possible, and in many cases actually more effective for staff to work remotely. This has led to a trend of businesses being more open to hiring remote staff.

Interestingly, however, it is likely that this trend is only likely to broaden outwards. Indeed, we should expect to see technology businesses hiring remote staff that are based anywhere around the world. International hiring can help with issues surrounding skills shortages and simply finding the right person for the job. 

Automation will play a much greater role

Business process automation is something that is revolutionising how companies operate and market their services. It mind sound ominous for the workforce, but process automation doesn’t necessarily lead businesses down a path to reducing the numbers of human staff, rather it digitises and automates processes that human staff generally find tedious or difficult

One of the major benefits of the automation of processes is that it frees up the time of staff, taking them away from repetitive manual work and allowing them to focus on things that are ultimately more valuable to the business. This presents the issue, then, that recruitment of staff should take into account this shift.

When recruiting for staff, tech firms should be looking to hire those with a proven record in aspects of work that aren’t related to manual work. For example, it means hiring a greater percentage of workers who can conduct analysis, creative thinking, and the kinds of things that cannot be automated.

You need to adapt to a candidate-driven market

We have already talked about the problem of the technology skills gap. This was a very apparent problem as businesses emerged from lockdown wanting to increase their digital presence and improve their technological offers, and found that there simply wasn’t the kind of experienced staff they need on the jobs market.

In fact, it now looks like it will be here to stay; the market is now candidate-driven. That means that competition is fierce to hire the best talent, and businesses must do everything that they can to make themselves attractive.

Employers will face greater scrutiny

Just as companies will need to be doing more to make themselves look like the right place to work for prospective members of staff, it is worth noting that they will face scrutiny from all sides. For example, company culture is set to become a much more important factor in what job seekers look for when making their decision. 

Tech businesses will necessarily need to work harder on showing their ethos and brand values as these are the things that can potentially swing someone to work for them. When candidates can be more selective, they can afford to turn down the businesses that they simply don’t think they would enjoy working for.