8 out of 10 companies recruit in the IT sector in 2023

A significant increase in the recruitment of IT specialists is underway by the vast majority of large companies worldwide. Currently, 8 out of 10 companies are in the process of recruiting, with 81 % of Chief Information Officer (CIOs) replying that they intend to expand their IT teams in 2023.

According to a recent survey by the international firm Gartner, Inc., only 14 % of large companies predict that IT staff will decrease, while 5 % estimate that the number of IT employees will remain the same. The same survey shows that two thirds of large companies, namely 67 %, plan to increase the number of IT workers in 2023 by at least 10 % in order to support their digital initiatives.

And recruitment and search for staff may have become a common place for businesses around the world, but the tactics used by large companies to attract talent and meet their critical needs in specialised skills vary, says the Hellenic Association of Computer Enterprises (SEPE).

With the growing demand for IT talent, the most important qualifications that companies are looking for during the recruitment process are to have the necessary technical skills and soft skills. Meanwhile, CIOs mention cybersecurity, cloud platforms and customer/user experience as the three most critical technical skills for 2023.

Hurdles to recruitments

In their efforts to grow IT teams, most companies face obstacles created by economic instability. Thus, 41 % of large companies report that the process of recruiting IT talent is difficult and slow, 35 % name the reduction of the overall IT budget as the main problem for recruitment, while 29 % mention a hiring freeze.

In order to meet their needs for IT workers, CIOs relax geographical and role requirements to expand potential pools from where they can draw talent. Other companies choose to hire IT workers at the early stages of their careers, providing them with opportunities for development to meet their critical technological needs.

Almost half of the CIOs of large companies plan to invest in training programmes to upgrade and retrain staff in IT to ensure that the teams have the necessary skills to achieve the corporate objectives. Also, according to the survey, a sufficient proportion of large companies, in the order of 46 %, plan to automate the workflow in order to meet the increased needs of workers.

The role of artificial intelligence

“Attracting and retaining talent in technology remains critical areas of interest for CIOs. Even with the progress made in AI, Gartner predicts that the global impact on jobs will be neutral over the next several years due to delays in business take-up, "says Gartner.

Today, according to the survey, full-time IT employees perform 56 % of daily work, while technological trends such as automation and augmented work with AI represent just over 9 % of the work volume today.

Republication of the article of the APR: 8 out of 10 companies recruit in IT in 2023.