Are you curious about other CIOs’ hiring plans? Learning more about what other CIOs are planning can help you set your own strategy. Here’s what you need to know about the latest hiring plans of Canada’s CIOs.
CIOs Hiring Plans
More than half of CIOs plan to hire IT professionals in the second half of 2017. Most are planning to hire when they need to fill vacant roles on their teams. To complete their projects, they need to maintain their staff levels. Eight percent of CIOs plan to grow their teams, not just fill vacant roles. If you have some big projects coming up, you may want to do the same.
About one-quarter of CIOs say retaining their current staff is their main concern. This priority makes sense given the high costs of replacing employees. According to some estimates, replacing a highly trained employee can cost 213 percent of the employee’s annual salary.
Reasons CIOs Are Hiring
There are a few different reasons why CIOs are hiring new employees. One of the reasons is that more new businesses are opening in their areas. When new businesses open up, there’s a need for more IT talent. New businesses aren’t the only factor driving hiring, though.
CIOs are also hiring new employees to keep up with their increased initiatives. There are a few different types of initiatives that are driving the need for new hires. These initiatives include digital marketing, mobile, and the cloud or big data. CIOs may need to hire because their existing teams can’t handle the increased workload that comes with new initiatives.
They may also need to hire if no one on their existing team has the right skills to make the new initiatives a success.
The Skills CIOs Are Looking For
In the second half of 2017, CIOs are trying to find talented employees with in-demand skills. The skill the greatest number of CIOs are looking for is network administration. Demand for this skill picked up in 2016, but it’s continued into 2017. That’s because the technologies businesses use are becoming more complex, and they’re constantly evolving. Skilled network administration professionals are essential for digital businesses that want to grow. They keep companies’ computer systems running smoothly.
Database management is another IT skill that’s in high demand. These professionals maintain databases and keep them secure. Companies need data management professionals to ensure they have access to their data.
Telecommunications support is also in high demand. Professionals with this skill keep companies’ phone systems working properly. Without these skilled professionals, there wouldn’t be anyone on staff to install, repair, and monitor telecommunications equipment.
Finally, CIOs are looking for IT professionals with wireless network management skills. Companies are increasingly relying on wireless, not wired, networks. That’s because users want to connect with mobile devices, and some devices may not even have ethernet ports anymore. This skill is hard to find since many IT professionals are still experts in wired networks, not wireless ones.
Challenges in Hiring
A big challenge for CIOs in Canada is the competitive IT talent market. There’s an active hiring market. CIOs are bringing on additional IT staff or hiring new employees to fill vacant positions. Many companies are competing for the best IT professionals. Two-fifths of tech leaders in Canada say it’s challenging to find the IT professionals they need.
If you’re having trouble hiring IT professionals, it may make sense to outsource recruiting. To find top IT talent, CIOs can turn to technical recruiters. These recruiters specialize in finding talented IT professionals for companies. They can even find professionals who are already employed, not just professionals who are currently looking for work.
