By Jason W. Eckert
These past few months have been interesting on the college side.
In my region (Kitchener-Waterloo in Southern Ontario), the IT job market seems to be heating up rapidly this summer (which is an unusual hiring time). In short, we have received more calls in the past few months from employers asking for IT people than we have had in the past couple of years, and employers are competing with other employers for our IT graduates.
However, what I find more interesting is the details of the jobs involved.
In bad times, companies usually become less people-focused and more company-focused. Rotating shift work (where employees are expected to alternate between working day shifts and night shifts), saves money but is difficult to live around. Contract employees without benefits save companies money as well, but are far less attractive than a job that provides full-time work and benefits for their employees.
The companies that I speak with who are having difficulty attracting IT staff this year are typically those that offer less money, contract or shift work. Those that are finding it easy to attract IT staff typically offer more money, full-time and regular 9-to-5 hours.
Are we returning to the people-focused IT environment of the 1990s?
I imagine that in the next year, companies that wish to attract good IT people will need to provide a more people-focused environment in order to compete in a hotter IT job market.
Do you see the same trend in your area? Leave a comment in this blog with your area and opinion.
