Art Zeile, CEO, Dice
A Message from Art
As we approach the close of yet another year, I want to first say Thank You. Connecting skilled technologists to the right organizations and roles, and ensuring the best possible fit for all involved, requires great skill, and is both incredibly challenging and critically important.
This year, I'm excited to be able to share with you some of the key trends we're likely to see in tech hiring over the next year, including:
- Skilled technologists will have more options than ever before
- Technologists will command more in compensation and traditional benefits
- Flexibility (or lack thereof) in how technologists are allowed to work will be a deal-breaker
- Gen Z technologists entering the workforce will shape what’s appropriate and acceptable in work environments and cultures
- How you present your brand to technologists (both employees and candidates) will be just as critical as the benefits you provide
This content and analyses are based on our conversations with technologists, employers and recruiters, as well as on the data we’ve compiled throughout 2021.
We’re living in one of the most interesting work landscapes in U.S. history. The forced move to entirely virtual work and the hard truths about balance, priorities and a general perception of a lack of quality in many workers’ lives have led to a revolution in how Americans view what’s attractive and acceptable in a work environment. And, as we know, they’ve acted upon those views by leaving and joining organizations at a record rate.
Whether we choose to classify it as workers leaving organizations that don’t fit their newly-informed viewpoints or workers choosing to pursue opportunities at organizations that fit their values and care about what matters to them, the result is the same: a market in which workers both have more leverage than ever before and are also holding organizations more accountable in areas like flexibility, culture, diversity, inclusion and beyond. The strain is even more acute for technologist talent, given the ever-increasing demand for their skill sets in organizations across every industry and vertical.
While this is likely not news at this point, it does put the onus on every organization to adapt to the changing world or risk losing out on attracting and retaining their most critical asset: their people.
Though a tall order, I think we benefit from viewing it as an opportunity. It’s a chance for organizations to look inward to make sure they do (or can) offer the types of environments that technologists are asking for. It’s a chance for all of us to dissect the current hiring process and fix the issues that are turning off recruiters and employers and turning away qualified candidates. It’s a chance to reorient on what we mean by “best fit possible,” both through the lens of hiring and through the lens of the candidate.
Perhaps it’s time for our industry to view this unique landscape as a chance for our own Great Reset. We can make a commitment to changing tech hiring and retention for the better and help both skilled technologists and the organizations who rely on them build environments and cultures that better serve everyone involved. There’s no better time than now!
I hope you find this content useful. Next year offers a brand-new opportunity to win key talent in a shifting tech hiring landscape. If you're looking for help in taking advantage of these trends in 2022, or you'd simply like to learn more about how we can support you, you know where to find us!
Happy Holidays from me and on behalf of the entire Dice team.
Art Zeile, CEO, Dice