IT Worker Confidence Declines in the First Quarter

BOSTON, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The IT Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. technology workers, declined further—to 48.6—in the first quarter 2013, a 7.2 point drop from the fourth quarter of 2012. Technology workers were much less confident across many aspects this quarter, including the strength of the economy, the availability of jobs and their ability to find a new job. Despite this, the index found that half (46 percent) of IT workers are likely to look for a new job. This online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Technologies in January, February and March of 2013, included 183 employees in the technology industry.

"Although we saw a fairly significant decline in the overall confidence levels among IT workers, we believe this decline to be an anomaly being driven by many macro-level economic conditions in the first quarter that have a trickle-down effect to the employee," said Bob Dickey, EVP of Technologies at Randstad U.S. "In fact, several reports and projections point to a very promising year for the industry, with substantial growth on the horizon. According to TechServe Alliance, the number of IT jobs increased last month to just under 4.5 million, growing by 5.1 percent since April 2012.

"Part of the robust projections is due to an anticipated demand within the healthcare IT sector. Specifically, the mandate for healthcare entities to adopt ICD-10—an international disease coding system—by October 1, 2014 will require additional IT talent," continued Dickey. "Because IT is not part of most healthcare organizations' core business, they will need to rely on IT vendors and suppliers that have the expertise and skills available in large application system migrations."

Q1, 2013 Survey Highlights:

IT Worker Confidence in the Economy Declines in First Quarter

• Technology professionals' confidence in the overall economy declined by seven percentage points this quarter, with 27 percent believing the economy is getting stronger. Nearly half (46 percent) say the economy is getting weaker.

Fewer IT Workers Believe More Jobs are Available this Quarter

• Less than a quarter (24 percent) of IT workers say more jobs are available this quarter, compared to 29 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. More than half (55 percent) of respondents believe that fewer IT jobs are now available.

Tech Workers Less Optimistic About their Employability

• Dropping six percentage points this quarter, 38 percent of IT workers reported feeling confident in their ability to find a new job compared to 55 percent the previous quarter. More than one-quarter (29 percent) are not confident in their ability to find a new job this quarter.

IT Workers' Confidence in Their Job Security Drops

• Less than six-in-ten of IT workers report it is not likely they will lose their job in the next 12 months, representing a significant 15 percentage point decline from last quarter. Also, more than a quarter (26 percent) indicated it will be likely they will lose their job within the next 12 months, jumping 14 percentage points from the previous quarter.

More IT Workers Likely to Job Hunt

• Nearly half (46 percent) of technology workers are likely to look for a new job in the next year, climbing 13 percentage points from the previous quarter.  

To view the latest quarterly trends report, click here.  

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Technologies from January 14-16, February 11-13 and March 5-7, 2013 among 3,631 adults ages 18 and older of which 183 are employed in IT. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Randstad Technologies
Randstad Technologies has been connecting top companies around the globe with the expert technology talent and solutions that drives their success since 1984. Our deep industry expertise and full-service capabilities—Recruitment, Consulting, Projects, and Outsourcing—enable organizations to be agile, productive, and ahead in the field with their wide network of specialists and flexible solutions. For more information, visit www.randstadtechnologies.com.

About Randstad US
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the US, Randstad holds top positions in permanent placement, office and administrative, IT and accounting and finance. From professional services, commercial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, to managed services and more, Randstad delivers a comprehensive range of temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and outsourced placement services. With its 5,660 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of nearly 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Learn more at www.randstad.com and access Randstad's panoramic US thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.

SOURCE Randstad Technologies