When it comes to hiring and retaining IT staffs, the future doesn’t look so bright. The Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire, the number of college students entering computer science has dropped 50 percent in the last five years, according to the Computer Research Association, and the need for corporate IT people is growing. In a survey of its members released last month, the Society of Information Management (SIM), an organization of CIOs, found that nearly 40 percent of the nation’s information chiefs are looking to increase their staffs, while another 33 percent said they are looking to maintain their current staffing levels—which means they’ll have to find people to fill the spots left by workers moving on to new jobs or retirement. It’s no wonder, then, that the same SIM survey found that attracting, developing and retaining information technology talent is now the No. 2 concern of CIOs—right after IT and business alignment. So what steps can CIOs take now to ensure they have the people they’ll need in the days ahead? CIO Insightsent question by e-mail to three leading IT staffing experts. Here is the advice they sent back:
Story Guide:
- Top Tips for Hiring and Retaining IT Talent
- Christian & Timbers’ Paul Groce on the “CIO 2010”
- Robert Half Technology’s Katherine Spencer Lee on compensation
- Manpower’s Rick Davidson on workforce optimization
For more on this topic, see Attracting and Retaining IT Pros: An Idea You May Not Have Thought OfNext page: Christian & Timbers’ Paul Groce on the “CIO 2010”