When we look at tech hiring specifically, CompTIA’s analysis of July employment figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that tech sector companies increased their staffing by 5,432 employees in July, and the national tech unemployment rate fell back to 1.8%, the lowest rate in six months. However, job posting volumes year to date have eased relative to last year’s record highs, which is not unexpected, and AI hiring remains a relatively small percentage of tech hiring activity.
A survey of 8,400 executives, professionals, and office workers conducted by Ivanti found that one in four IT professionals are considering quitting their jobs in the next six months due to heavy workloads, stress, and isolation associated with remote work. The report also estimates that there has been a 73% increase in IT workloads due to hybrid or remote working, and at least one in four professionals is suffering from burnout. IT professionals are also 2.5 times more likely to work longer hours when working remotely. Despite these challenges, most IT professionals (84%) want to continue to work remotely at least some of the time.
And despite this, tech firms are posting fewer all-remote job listings, with the share of fully remote positions declining to 18.6% in May from a post-pandemic peak of 24% in August 2022, according to research by JLL and labor analytics firm Lightcast.
According to the annual Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT salary survey, 67% of tech workers in the UK believe recruiting women into the tech sector could help to close longstanding IT skills gaps. Still, only 40% said their company has a plan to improve the gender split in their IT teams.
The tech labor market is still tighter than the general one and is still intensely high pressure. Meanwhile, employers are limiting their options in the net they cast for candidates in the way people work and who they go find to work there. And in an environment where talent is limited, and that talent wants both remote flexibility and diversity, organizations are investing in neither.
So, we care because those who do make this effort are rarer and positioned to be more successful. Sometimes, the opportunity is just that obvious.