Providing employees with adequate skills training tops the list of staffing concerns for technology executives today, a new survey shows. More than a quarter (26 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) polled said providing adequate professional development and skills training for their information technology (IT) professionals is their greatest staffing challenge. Maintaining productivity levels ranked second, cited by 20 per cent of respondents, followed by recruiting IT professionals at 16 per cent.
The study, developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm, is based on telephone interviews with 270 CIOs across Canada.
CIOs were asked, "Of the following staffing issues within the IT department, which do you consider to be your greatest challenge as a CIO?
Providing staff with adequate professional development resources to keep skills current................................. 26%
Keeping employees productive........................................................................................................................................ 20%
Finding skilled technology professionals...................................................................................................................... 16%
Dealing with personality conflicts between employees................................................................................................ 7%
Developing defined career paths for IT staff members................................................................................................ 6%
None..................................................................................................................................................................................... 16%
Don't know/other.................................................................................................................................................................. 9%
100%
"As technology continues to change rapidly, many CIOs find it challenging to maintain adequate training and skill enhancement programs for their staff," said Sandra Lavoy, vice-president with Robert Half Technology. "Companies that are able to implement adaptable training programs and that are diligent in evaluating their staff's abilities will be better able to close skill gaps quickly and reap the added benefits of increased productivity."
CIOs at medium firms (250-499 employees) are having the greatest difficulty in providing staff with adequate training: 32 per cent of respondents from this category named this as their top concern. Medium firms also had the greatest challenge in keeping employees productive, as cited by 22 per cent of respondents. When it came to finding skilled IT professionals, medium to large firms (500-999 employees) are having the greatest challenge as noted by 34 per cent of CIOs in companies this size. (See Table 1 for a breakdown of response by company size.)
Lavoy noted that "In today's IT hiring environment, job seekers are looking beyond attractive compensation and benefits packages to see how organizations can assist with their professional development. To remain competitive, companies can enhance their recruitment and retention efforts by offering more robust professional development programs and greater assistance to staff wishing to pursue certifications."
About the Survey
The study was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. The study is based on more than 270 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of Canadian companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the study to be statistically representative and ensure that companies from all segments were represented, the sample was stratified by industry and employee size. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of employee size within industry.
