More skilled high-tech workers needed, industry conference told by researchers

Competition for skilled workers in the high tech sector is still fierce, despite recent upheavals in the market. The results of a study done by TalentMap.com for the CATA Alliance were released at last week’s GlobeTech Conference in Ottawa. The survey estimates that between 70,000 and 90,000 jobs will go unfilled in this country this year. Nearly half those positions will be unstaffed because there aren’t enough candidates with the right skills."Companies are not only competing for a limited supply of human resources, many are finding it difficult to retain the top talent they already employ," the report states. "While turnover is down slightly in 2001, those on the hot skills list can leave…and they will." The one-year study polled 6087 people working for 26 high tech firms. The companies ranged in size from 50 to 3000 workers in the telecom, software and hardware sectors.The report’s authors say they were surprised job satisfaction was not higher. Responses were weighted, with ‘very satisfied’ set at 100 and ‘very dissatisfied’ set at 0. Even with the meltdown in the technology industry, the overall job satisfaction last year ranked only 64 out of a scale of 100. That number edged up slightly to 70 this year. When asked if they were looking for or thinking of accepting another job, 19 per cent in the 2001 survey said yes. While that means 81 per cent plan to stay in place, nearly one in five are eager to leave. There are a variety of reasons for searching out greener pastures. Some cited dissatisfaction with personal growth opportunities, such as formal training and lateral moves, at their current employer. Others had diminished trust in the corporate leadership and personal pride in the organization. Not surprisingly, financial considerations also played a part. The study found lower paid workers were the most likely to want to leave. Employees earning less than $50,000 were more likely to answer Yes than No when asked if they were looking for another job. The higher the salary, the less likely workers are to seek other employment. Younger staff are the prime candidates to depart. Nine per cent more of employees under 29 years old answered in the affirmative than those who planned to stay. Workers in their thirties showed slightly more loyalty, while those over 40 were the most likely to remain.While age and economic bracket were factors, sex was not. The report found little difference in the responses from men and women. TalentMap president/CEO Sean Fitzpatrick released the findings on June 11, the first day of the two-day conference. Other sessions included panels featuring industry leaders, a speech by finance minister Paul Martin, and the presentation of several awards.

More skilled high-tech workers needed, industry conference told by researchers

News | 06/18/2001 4:00 am EDT

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