Uncertainty about job security could prompt valuable IT professionals to jump ship putting business continuity at risk and leaving companies without the technical leadership they need to return to growth.
According to new research from Star, a provider of on-demand computing and communication services to UK businesses. Twenty two per cent of survey respondents said they believe their current position to be secure for no more than 12 months, making it likely at least one in five is actively looking for a job at any given time. Only about half of the IT professionals surveyed said that they are currently employed full-time by the company for which they are working.
“Current levels of IT job insecurity are helping no-one” said Paul Watson, interim CEO of Star. “IT professionals are moving from job to job, thanklessly trying to maintain legacy systems inherited from their predecessors – systems that are quickly becoming obsolete. They know they are adding little in the way of business value and are often not privy to plans regarding their future. The situation is morale sapping and the resulting churn puts both business continuity and business recovery at risk.”
Using cloud-based managed services can help companies to predict costs, plan resources and ensure consistency of service for the next three to five years. The IT department’s role can evolve from its current focus on day-to-day maintenance to a longer term view that embraces ideas, knowledge and innovation, adding business value and securing the careers of IT professionals. The survey shows, however, that IT professionals concerned about job security could be doing more to help themselves by acquiring the management skills needed for the cloud computing era. 23 per cent consider strategy and 19 per cent consider analysis to be the most important management skills for IT professionals yet most are more interested in improving their technical rather than their management capabilities. 77 per cent of university degrees held by IT professionals are technology rather than business or management based, proving there is a skills gap even among one of the most highly talented professions.
