The annual report on IT budgets and tech trends Budgets Future Workplace Tech IT Careers IT Marketing Subscribe Tech career outlook & hiring trends for the year ahead In part three of the 2019 State of IT ©, we’re examining the tech career outlook and business hiring trends on the horizon. We surveyed 1,000 tech professionals in businesses across North America and Europe. The results show that as IT pros seek to level up their IT game, companies are looking to fill vacancies and find specialty tech skills! Key findings: Nearly one in three organizations plans to increase their IT staff in 2019. Behind cybersecurity skills, AI tech expertise is the number two skill large enterprises are seeking. In 2019, one in four IT pros plans to seek new employment; millennials are most likely to job hop. Job-hopping IT pros are primarily seeking better salaries and opportunities to advance their IT skills. OPPORTUNE IT In 2019, while 29% of companies plan to increase their IT staff, most companies (59%) aren’t planning to build up their IT staff next year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not hiring at all. For example, some companies may be focused on backfilling positions formerly held by IT pros who may have left the building in search of greener pastures. Many companies are facing challenges retaining employees with traditional IT expertise, so they’re not able to increase their IT staff when they’re focused on filling in the gaps after IT pros leave. Companies that do plan to increase staff are often targeting specific IT skills rather than general expertise.” Brian Slater Founding Partner of Eikos Partners When comparing the data by company size, enterprises with 1,000+ employees are more likely to increase their IT staff next year than their smaller counterparts, perhaps because larger companies have more IT needs and data assets to manage, and they’re more likely to increase their tech spend in 2019, as we know from our State of IT Budgets report. Expected change in IT staff for 2019 Total Region Company Size Secure IT IT security/cybersecurity skills are most sought after among companies planning to shore up IT staffing levels next year. When comparing the data by company size, it’s clear large enterprises (5,000+ employees) are more likely to seek AI expertise than their smaller counterparts. In fact, it’s the number two skill they’re looking for after security know-how. On the other hand, midsize companies (500 to 999 employees) are more likely to seek candidates with DevOps skills. Smaller companies are more likely to prioritize hiring IT pros with end user hardware and infrastructure expertise. This finding comes as small businesses plan to significantly boost their hardware budgets in 2019. Companies looking to maximize efficiencies and grow profits understand the potential artificial intelligence has to automate tasks and reduce the cost of doing business. But to effectively deploy and manage AI-enabled tech, organizations need workers with relevant AI skillsets and experience. And large enterprises, which often have resources dedicated to R&D, are already ahead of the game when it comes to experimenting with and getting value out of AI." Peter Tsai Senior Technology Analyst at Spiceworks Top 5 IT skills organizations are seeking in 2019 TOTAL, REGIONAL, AND BY COMPANY SIZE Total North America Europe 1-99 100-499 500-999 1,000-4,999 5,000+ MATURE IT In 2019, 26% of IT pros plan to find a new employer, 8% plan to leave the IT field for a new career, 6% plan to move into IT consulting, and 5% plan to retire. However, job plans vary significantly by age. For example, 33% of millennial IT pros plan to seek new employment in 2019, compared to 26% of Gen X and 13% of baby boomers. Millennials are also more likely to expect a raise and promotion, while unsurprisingly, baby boomer IT pros are most likely to retire in 2019. Additionally, when comparing the data by gender, it’s worth noting that women are more likely to expect a promotion next year: 25% of female IT pros expect a promotion in 2019 compared to 14% of male IT pros. However, men are slightly more likely to anticipate a raise… 37% of men expect a raise next year compared to 33% of women. Job plans also vary by region. For example, in the UK specifically, 38% of IT pros plan to find a new employer next year, compared to the 28% average in Europe and 24% in North America. Perhaps this is because digital tech jobs are on the rise in the UK, which means more job opportunities for IT pros (and more temptation to job hop). In fact, according to the 2018 Tech Nation Report, UK employment in the digital tech sector increased by 13% between 2014 and 2017. IT career changes expected in 2019 Total Region Generation RATIONAL IT Why are so many IT pros polishing up their resumes? Most (62%) are looking for a better salary, while about half of IT pros hope to advance their IT skills in a new gig, and about a third are seeking better work/life balance. Comparing generations, millennials are more likely to seek a new job to get more training, find work at a company with a bigger IT budget, or land a better job title. Taking a look at the results by gender, it’s apparent men are significantly more likely to pursue another job to earn a better salary: 65% of male IT pros are seeking a better salary compared to 38% of women. When seeking new job opportunities, IT pros should look for companies that value business continuity and are ready to invest in the security of their environments. Support of IT initiatives on a higher level and regular paid trainings for IT team members is a good sign that a company cares about its employees, values their contribution to the organization’s success, and is ready to offer a competitive compensation." Steve Dickson CEO of Netwrix Top reasons for seeking new employment in 2019 Total Region Generation PROSPER IT We’ve already learned that seeking a higher salary is the top reason leading IT pros to change jobs in 2019. And perhaps because their salaries aren’t increasing as quickly as they’d like (even as business revenue and IT budgets rise), switching to a better paying gig might be more enticing for IT pros looking to earn more. In fact, according to a Spiceworks poll, the majority of IT pros got less than a 5% pay bump in the last 12 months, or nothing at all. For example, 33% of IT pros polled said they haven’t received a raise in the last year from their current employer. Additionally, 22% of IT pros said they received a 1-2% raise while 17% received a 3-4% raise. How much are IT professionals currently making? The median salary for IT pros in North America is $70,000. However, that figure doesn’t tell the whole story. IT pros working at large enterprises that often need more specialized IT skills tend to be better compensated compared to those at smaller businesses. In fact, the median salary is $62,000 for IT pros at companies with less than 100 employees, compared to $100,000 for IT pros working at companies with more than 5,000 employees. Industry experience also plays a big role in compensation, with millennial IT pros — often still on ground level in their careers — making far less than their baby boomer counterparts. Median IT salary in 2018 in North America North America Generation Company Size In Europe, IT professionals are paid slightly less than those in North America. The median salary for IT pros in Europe is €55,000 (equivalent to about $64,000 at the time of this study). And like in North America, salaries are highest for IT pros in Europe who work in large businesses with 5,000+ employees. Median IT salary in 2018 in Europe Europe Generation Company Size Adverse IT When it comes to the biggest IT challenges companies expect to face next year, keeping IT infrastructure up to date and replacing outdated software/operating systems top the list. This makes sense considering most orgs plan to boost IT budgets next year in an effort to refresh aging infrastructure. In Europe, however, businesses are significantly more concerned with complying with new regulations like GDPR than their counterparts in North America. In fact, European businesses said it’s their number two challenge behind keeping IT infrastructure up to date. By company size, it’s clear large enterprises are more likely to face obstacles implementing the latest tech innovations (AI, IoT, and automation), likely because they’re jumping on the latest tech trends at much faster rates as we know from our State of Future Workplace Tech report. Midsize businesses are facing bigger stumbling blocks convincing business leaders to prioritize important IT projects. And smaller businesses, with their smaller IT staffs that are often light on specialized IT expertise, are more likely to struggle adhering to the latest security best practices and providing ongoing end user security training. Top IT challenges organizations expect to face in 2019 Total Region Company Size Conclusion As 2019 comes into focus, IT pros are polishing up their resumes as some companies look to boost their IT staff. But how will employer and employee needs match up? IT pros want to earn more money, advance their skills, and find a better work-life balance. At the same time, organizations are eager to find employees with specialty skills, such as security, AI, cloud architecture, IoT, and DevOps expertise. As it has always been, working in IT can be demanding. And the two challenges businesses will be focused on most in the coming year: keeping IT infrastructure sturdy and refreshing outdated software. But overall, the outlook for IT pros in 2019 is good. Companies are hiring, and opportunities are out there for IT pros, particularly those with in-demand skills. 2019 State of IT Marketing Check out part four about IT marketing spend, trends, and challenges expected in 2019. Read Now Details on the data The Spiceworks survey was conducted in July 2018 and included 1,000 tech professionals from organizations across North America and Europe. Regions represented Company sizes represented Top titles represented About Spiceworks Spiceworks is the marketplace that connects the IT industry to help technology buyers and sellers get their jobs done, every day. The company helps people in the world’s businesses to find, adopt, and manage the latest technologies while also helping IT brands build, market, and support better products and services. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Spiceworks empowers people to use technology to make their organizations, their communities, and the world better. Follow Spiceworks on Twitter and connect with Spiceworks on Facebook. Copyright © 2024 Spiceworks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. × Looking to connect with tech buyers in market for your products? Contact our experts › Learn how you can reach millions of IT buyers. ×
