Mind the Gap: Employers and tech professionals divided on how to satisfy top tech talent

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Salaries for technology professionals in the United States were flat in 2018 with average annual salary of $93,244, a slight 0.6% increase from 2017. The Dice 2019 Tech Salary Report, released annually by Dice, the leading career platform for technology professionals, mirrors static wages in technology across the U.S., but finds compelling options beyond pay for employers looking to impress top tech talent and attract skilled candidates.

In 2018, as with previous years, when asked why they'd anticipate changing employers, the vast majority of tech pros (68% in 2018) said they'd change employers to receive higher compensation. While this sentiment continues to trump other satisfaction factors for tech pros, it is also clear that professionals are seeking more than that coveted paycheck.

"Technology is an important driving force behind innovation and most every company will be a tech company at its core in the future. How we incentivize our tech talent will define our business success," shared Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, Inc., parent company to Dice. "As it stands now, tech pros see a gap in the benefits and perks they want and need, compared to what they receive with their current employer. This dissonance must be shored up in order for top tech employers to remain competitive in a demanding market."

Mind the gap
47% of tech professionals said they'd change employers to seek better working conditions (non-compensation aspects like remote work, flex hours and culture), more responsibility (34%), and because they anticipate losing their current position (22%). The good news is, employers can mind the gap by offering non-salary options like training and education, flex and remote options and burnout mitigation in order to recruit and retain the most coveted tech pros.

Promote training and education
In 2018, 71% of tech pros said that training and education are important to them, but only 40% currently have company-paid training and education – that's a 31% gap between what's desired and what's offered. This gap is further illustrated by the fact that far more tech pros (45%) who are satisfied with their job receive training, while only 28% of those who are dissatisfied with their job receive training. "Offering skill-enhancing training keeps employees at the top of their game and could ease the minds of professionals wanting to feel motivated and invested," said Zeile.

Be flexible on remote and flex options
In addition to training and education, tech pros overwhelmingly noted remote and flexible working options as important (73%). In contrast, only 49% currently have these options. This 24% gap is the second-largest between a desired benefit and what employers broadly are offering, which ties into overall employee satisfaction; 55% of people who said they're satisfied at their job have remote and flex options, whereas only 33% (who are said they're dissatisfied with their job) have the benefit.

In terms of how often professionals want to work remotely, while 98% of Dice respondents said they'd prefer to work remotely at least some of the time, only 62% are currently offered this option by their employer. Employers who provide remote and flex options, even part of the time, have a better opportunity to stand out from competitors vying for the same tech talent.

Mitigate burnout
Lack of recognition (36%), workload (35%) and lack of challenge or monotony (28%) result in tech professional burnout. 81% of tech pros reported feeling burnt out in 2018, with a surprising 35% feeling the highest levels of burnout.

Those tech pros who said they are dissatisfied with their jobs even more cite lack of recognition (39%) as the number one reason they're burnt out. Only 2% of overall respondents reported that high level recognition was a primary motivator provided by their employer in 2018, illustrating another gap opportunity for employers to close.

Another contributing factor to burnout is the desire for more responsibility and more interesting/challenging work. In fact, 34% of tech pros said they'd change employers to receive more responsibility. Only 10% of respondents said they were provided more interesting/challenging work in 2018 as a primary motivator by their employer, which remains flat year/year.

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Resources

• Download the Dice 2019 Tech Salary Report, including salaries by market, skill and industry: www.dice.com/salary
• The Dice Tech Salary Calculator is available for employers here: www.dice.com/calculator
• The Salary Predictor is available for tech professionals here: www.dice.com/predictor
• Dice's Employer Resource Library contains recruiting insights, reports, eBooks, webinars and more

Methodology
The Dice salary survey was administered online by Dice.com, with 10,780 employed technology professionals responding between October 22, 2018 and December 13, 2018. To learn more about how respondents were invited to respond to the survey, our cookie methodology and salaries above $350,000, please view the methodology in the full report.

About Dice
Dice is a leading tech career hub connecting employers with skilled technology professionals and providing tech professionals with career opportunities, data, insights and advice. Established in 1990, Dice began as one of the first career sites and today provides a comprehensive suite of recruiting solutions, empowering companies and recruiters to make informed hiring decisions. Dice serves multiple markets throughout North America. 

www.Dice.com | Dice is a DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE:DHX) service

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