More than half of UK tech workers changed jobs over the last 12 months as lingering economic uncertainty continues to drive employees to consider alternative roles.
A survey of 2,000 tech workers by CWJobs found that 57% switched jobs over the last year, with 42% stating that they had moved voluntarily.
Around 15% revealed their decision to change roles was prompted by redundancy.
A key factor in why tech workers have opted to change jobs was that many are “seeking out stability”, according to the study.
Nearly half (45%) of those who changed jobs accepted a role within a larger organization due to the perceived safety this might offer compared to roles within smaller firms.
This growing movement of workers across the tech industry comes amid a period of heightened demand for critical IT roles across the UK, CWJobs noted.
Analysis by the firm found that there were more than 454,000 IT job vacancies in the UK market during the first quarter of 2023.
RELATED RESOURCE
The Okta Hybrid Work Report 2023
How European leaders are building long-term strategies for hybrid working
Some of the most in-demand roles included DevOps engineers, Java developers, and data engineers.
Similarly, competition for talent in the UK tech sector is also increasing, the study found. Tech workers reported that they are now approached by potential employers an average of 3.6 times per month.
However, half said they “never reply” or typically reply to just one approach per month.
“We’ve seen a huge shakeup of the tech industry over the past year - whether workers have been forced to change jobs or have taken proactive steps to find a new role,” said Dominic Harvey, director at CWJobs.
“This level of movement puts a lot of pressure on employers in terms of training and continuity of IT support, but it also represents a massive opportunity for the industry to accelerate innovation. Fresh talent can bring new ideas and new ways of doing things, which could help to push teams forward.”
CWJobs’ latest study follows a previous report published in January that found 53% of workers were actively applying for alternative roles due to the looming specter of redundancies.
A flurry of layoffs at major tech companies at the beginning of the year prompted many to reconsider their positions, the study found.
Amazon, Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft all announced plans to cut thousands of staff due to uncertain economic conditions.
This disruptive period resulted in a significant negative impact on tech workers across the country, with nearly two-thirds (63%) revealing that they were preemptively applying for a new role in the event of layoffs at their respective employers.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
Tech talent shortages mean firms are scrapping traditional recruitment strategiesNews With more than half of enterprise leaders worried about future skills shortages, many organizations are turning to a range of new techniques to expand potential talent pools.
-
Employees are dead set on flexible working arrangements – three quarters would turn down a role that didn't offer hybrid options as work-life balance becomes more important than payNews New research shows workers are increasingly demanding flexible working arrangements from employers.
-
Half of jobseekers turned down offers last year amid growing demands on employersNews An increasingly competitive talent landscape means employers are being forced to offer a wider range of incentives
-
Most businesses' recruitment efforts are failing neurodiverse candidatesNews While tech firms contend with talent shortages, they are missing out on a potentially lucrative pool of neurodiverse candidates
-
Should your business issue a hiring freeze?In-depth Issuing a hiring freeze can save money in the short term, but leaving one in place for too long might be counterintuitive
-
Wipro faces criticism after cutting graduate salaries by nearly 50%News Graduates were given days to decide whether they would accept greatly reduced pay offers, prompting union action
-
Zoom CEO takes 98% pay reduction after cutting 15% of workforceNews 1,300 employees will be made redundant effective immediately, with affected staff notified via email in the US
-
Intel slashes staff salaries, bonuses amid disappointing financial performanceNews The money-saving drive comes as the hardware sector has been hit especially hard by the economic headwinds facing all tech companies
