Less Than Half of IT & Tech Staff Are Happy With Their Pay

LONDON, ENGLAND, April 24, 2013 (Press-News.org) Less than half of the IT and technology workforce in the UK feel their current pay adequately rewards their responsibility, according to new research Randstad Technologies, the specialist recruiter.

- 47% of those working in the IT and tech sector feel they're adequately paid
- However, 60% of Tech employees are happy with their job
- Across the whole UK workforce employees are now prioritising pay over job security as top employment requirement
- Two IT firms feature in top 20, but successful retailers John Lewis and Marks & Spencer voted the UK's most attractive employers in 2013 Randstad Awards

Less than half of the IT and technology workforce in the UK feel their current pay adequately rewards their responsibility, according to new research by Randstad Technologies, the specialist recruiter.

In the survey of 2000 UK adults, 47% of employees in the IT sector stated they are happy with their current level of remuneration. While this is less than half the IT workforce, it is a higher proportion than the national average of 43%.

Despite feeling pay is too low, three fifths (60%) of IT workers describe themselves as happy with their job, this compares to 61% across the entire UK workforce. The happiest workers are those working in Utilities (96%), while those working in Insurance are the happiest with their pay (90%).

In additional research by Randstad of 7000 UK adults it is revealed that competitive pay and benefits is back as the most important requirement of a new employer, while job security, the top factor for the past three years, has fallen to third place. This reversal mirrors the improvement in the UK jobs market reported in the most recent Government statistics.

In 2012, 27% of people said long-term job security was the most important factor in choosing to work for a specific company - more than any other issue. But this has now fallen to 16%, the lowest it has been in three years. Meanwhile, 18% of respondents said a competitive salary and employee benefits was the most important factor in picking an employer, compared to only 11% in 2012 and 12% in 2011.

While those working in IT & technology were less content than the national average, the general public perceives leading IT and telecoms firms as some of the best UK employers to work for. In the 2013 Randstad Awards, announced recently Virgin Media featured as the seventh most attractive employer to work form while British Sky Broadcasting Group also featured in the top twenty most attractive employers. 40% of people who knew the company said they would like to work for Virgin Media, compared to the 53% who would work for the overall winner, John Lewis.

Mike Beresford, managing director of Randstad Technologies, said: "It's been a tough job market in recent years with confidence on the wane. And that's been reflected in people's priorities - salary packages weren't as important to potential employees as the security of their position. Over the course of the last twelve months, that's changed dramatically and the UK's workforce appears much more bullish. In 2011 and 2012 the number one priority for people was job security - now it's salaries and benefits. Tech employees certainly aren't the least happy in the UK, but employers must redouble their efforts if they are to attract and hold on to skilled employees as the sector grows."

Mike Beresford continued: "For instance roles in IT infrastructure are expected to see a 10% increase in salary. However, that's only half the battle. Last year Tech employees felt they were working the equivalent of one and a half jobs, and it's clear teams are still as lean as possible. While cost is still a concern, the best employers make sure employees don't feel stretched to breaking point. Workload management, alongside professional development, should be high on an employer's agenda for maintaining morale."

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Randstad Awards

In the UK the Randstad Awards rated the country's 150 largest companies - collectively employing more than 3,500,000 people in the United Kingdom - via a poll of 7,000 British adults between the ages of 18 and 65. Overall in 2013, 120,000 people across 14 countries were surveyed as part of the Randstad Awards. Respondents were asked to pick out the companies they knew, then indicate whether they would like to work for these companies, before evaluating each potential employer in ten categories. The awards were launched in Belgium in 1999, although this is only the third time UK workers have been polled. Companies are unable to nominate themselves or determine the categories or criteria for entry.

About Randstad
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; Legal; Retail; Sales, Student and Worker Support and In-House and Managed Services.

At the end of 2012, Randstad had 1,750 corporate employees in the UK, working in 203 locations. UK revenue in 2012 was EUR799 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.

PRESS CONTACTS

The Wriglesworth Consultancy
James Staunton, Account Director, j.staunton@wriglesworth.com 020 7427 1404
Adam Jones, Senior Account Executive, a.jones@wriglesworth.com 020 7427 1403

Randstad Technologies is part of the Randstad group, one of the leading recruitment & HR services providers in the world with a top five position in the UK and a top three position in fifteen countries including the US, France and Germany.