Technology Companies Surging in Popularity as Employers of Choice
· IT & Telecoms sector more popular than at any time in the last 3 years, according to poll of 10,000 UK workers
IT & Telecoms companies are more popular as employers than at any time in the last three years, according to Randstad Technologies, the specialist global recruiter.
A survey of 10,728 Brits – carried out as part of the annual Randstad Award – found that, for the fourth year running, the Automotive industry was perceived as the most attractive sector to work in.
However, the research also revealed that IT & Telecoms is surging in popularity as a sector to work within, with just under a third of all respondents saying they view it as an attractive career path, the highest proportion for three years.
In 2013, just a quarter (26 per cent) of those interviewed said IT & Telecoms was an attractive sector in which to work, but in 2014 that rose to 28 per cent – and this year it hit 30 per cent, a significant upswing.
Ruth Jacobs, managing director of Randstad Technologies, comments: “The sector is thriving helped by the high-profile development of tech clusters in the UK including Shoreditch’s Silicon Roundabout – which have made the IT sector seem a much ‘cooler’ space to work in.
“IT professionals have moved away from being back office support staff and are now on the front-line, providing fundamental support across all industries and fighting cyber-fires. Over the last few years, several high profile hacks have demonstrated the importance of well-trained cyber professionals, and IT security jobs and IT support jobs are now rightly viewed as integral to all firms. Most recently, a hack of Sony Pictures resulted in the film production company pulling distribution of the film ‘The Interview’ in a cyber-attack which sent ripples throughout the film industry and highlighted the growing threat of cyber-crime.”
IT SECTOR BECOMING MORE POPULAR
The upswing in popularity of IT & Telecoms as a sector to work in has been influenced by a number of factors.
Firstly, a new IT curriculum was introduced into schools in September 2014, with the aim of improving digital literacy and encouraging more students to enter the field. This includes the incorporation of coding lessons into the curriculum and the study of Boolean logic.
And a boom in demand for IT workers has pushed up average salaries in the IT sector, meaning it is now perceived to offer good financial reward.
At the same time, several high profile floats of UK technology companies have helped to raise the reputation of the industry, including King Digital, Just Eat and Zoopla.
Ruth Jacobs continues: “The IT & Telecoms industry has become much more high profile, as recent Tech-city floats illustrate how tech firms can experience exponential growth over a very short span of time, developing from small start-ups to multi-million-pound enterprises.”
WHERE NOT TO WORK
At the other end of the spectrum, the least attractive sectors included Business Services, Utilities & Energy, Leisure, and Insurance.
The poll was carried out as part of the annual Randstad Award, the largest piece of independent international employer branding research in the world, capturing the views of approximately 225,000 people across 23 countries . The award aims to identify the most attractive large employers in different countries, as judged by the working population.
John Lewis was named the UK’s most attractive large employer overall, followed by automotive giant BMW. British Airways came in third position.
If you are interested in other findings from the award, the UK research can be found on the Randstad Award website.
Randstad Technologies is part of the Randstad group, one of the leading recruitment & HR services providers in the world with a top three position in the UK and the United States.
In the UK, Randstad’s business lines serve the public and private sectors across accounting and financial services; business support; construction, property and engineering; education; health and social care; interim management and search; human resources; IT; student and worker support and in-house and managed services.
At the end of 2013 Randstad had 1,520 corporate employees in the UK, working in 147 locations (incorporating 53 in-house sites). UK revenue in 2013 was €769.6 million. Randstad Holding nv was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands and listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. For more information see www.randstad.co.uk and www.randstad.com.
Candidates seeking CV, interview and career advice should visit: https://www.randstad.co.uk/job-seeker/career-hub/
