Talent Acquisition and Retention Strategies in Tech for 2022: Part One

Hiring teams need help. Especially hiring teams trying to figure out how to attract top talent. Tech recruiters everywhere are struggling to develop their talent acquisition solutions. But most of them are also engaged and worried about retaining the IT talent they already have.

Tech shortages coupled with the Great Resignation on top of COVID disruption have made for a tumultuous couple of years in the U.S. We’ve compiled some of the best talent acquisition and retention strategies to help you calm the storm.

What Are Tech Candidates Looking for in an Employer?

Tech recruiters understand that your talent acquisition strategies are tied closely to retention. If you can keep the tech talent you have, it tells a compelling story about the corporate culture and benefits. But if you’re losing existing talent through a sieve, it will make your efforts to recruit tech talent a lot harder. But what is our tech talent looking for these days?

If you’re a hiring manager or are otherwise engaged in recruiting tech talent, there are a few talent acquisition and retention trends that will affect your strategies this year:

Higher compensation
Flex work time
Remote work
Opportunities to advance

Compensation

Compensation remains at the forefront of most candidates’ minds. At $104,566, we broke records for our average tech salary in 2021. Yet developers say they are still underpaid. Over the past two years or so, job jumpers have increased their pay each time they leave a position for a new opportunity. White collar workers are also seeing the biggest pay scale jump they’ve had in 20-years. In this kind of market, this means that every single tech geek you have on board is vulnerable. It also means you’ll be in a bidding war for anyone you’re trying to hire.

Flexible Working Hours

Job flexibility is no longer a request; it’s a requirement. Perhaps remote work has spoiled us, but the genie is now out of the bottle for tech workers who are demanding work from home. Flexibility is huge for today’s workforce and if you don’t give it, your internal talent and external candidates are going to walk away.

One study showed:

76% of employees say they want more flexibility in where they do their job.
93% of employees want flexibility when they do their jobs.
56% say they’re open to new jobs that offer flexibility in where and when they do their job.

Remote Work

With so much cloud software out there, is there really a need for on-premise developers anymore? IT doesn’t need physical meetings anymore for the most part and 75% of developers say they’re happiest working from home at least three days a week. Only 32% say they’re more productive in an office environment.

Employers have been taking note of these trends, and many are working to allow for more flexibility in their staffing arrangements. Today about 59% of employers are allowing flexible work arrangements to support their engineering and IT teams. D e vOps.com points out, “Having had a taste of freedom from corporate settings, most developers now want remote work options in a post-pandemic future.” They say 86% of engineers are now working remotely 100% of the time. Engineers cite the work/life balance and the improved autonomy to work when they choose from home. Avoiding the commute is admittedly a time and money saver, as well. Without workplace distractions, 70% of developers say they are more productive at home. If you’re seeking to up your game on the remote offerings front, consider establishing a benefits package to promote remote work but that also supports it. For example:

Offer a work-from-home budget to improve the candidate’s office space.
Eliminate the 9-to-5 from our vocabulary.
Pay for time off for personal and professional development.

Organizations seeking tech talent must adapt to these growing trends, or face a mountainous climb to reach their hiring goals.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series! Coming soon!