Technology firms ‘surging in popularity as employers’

Nick Elvin

IT & telecoms companies are more popular as employers than at any time in the last three years, according to research by recruitment firm Randstad Technologies.

The survey of more than 10,000 UK workers found that, for the fourth year running, the automotive industry was perceived as the most attractive sector to work in.

However, the research 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, 26% of those interviewed said IT & telecoms was an attractive sector in which to work, rising to 28% in 2014 and 30% this year.

At the other end of the spectrum, the research revealed that the least attractive sectors included business services, utilities & energy, leisure, and insurance.

Ruth Jacobs, managing director of Randstad Technologies, said: “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.”

The upswing in popularity of IT & telecoms as a sector to work in has been influenced by a number of factors, according to Randstad.

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.

In addition, a boom in demand for IT workers has pushed up average salaries in the sector, meaning it is now perceived to offer good financial reward. At the same time, there have been several high profile floats of UK technology companies, including King Digital, Just Eat and Zoopla.

Jacobs added: “The IT & telecoms industry has become much more high profile, as recent 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.”