If employers are having trouble bringing on technology talent, they may need to take a second look at their salary offers. Staffing firm Robert Half Technology surveyed IT decision makers in Canada about the issues hindering their hiring efforts, and the leading response was an inability to present competitive compensation packages to candidates (33 per cent). Other common barriers included speed to hire (21 per cent) and lacking perks benefits (14 per cent).
Tech leaders were asked to name the barriers to bringing tech talent into their organization. The top responses included*:

• Compensation (33%): We don't pay nearly as much as our competitors.
• Speed to hire (21%): Our hiring process is extremely slow and we lose good candidates while deciding.
• Perks and benefits (14%): We don't offer as many unique perks or benefits as other local employers.
• Competition (11%): Other large, desirable companies in the area tend to recruit all the good candidates.
• Awareness (8%): We don't do enough to promote our organization as a great place to work.

*Rankings are based on the percentage of tech leaders who named the response as first of their three most important factors for IT professionals.

"We're in a tight market for talented technology professionals, and companies need to be prepared with robust and competitive offers to impress top applicants," said Deborah Bottineau, district director for Robert Half Technology. "If providing above-average salaries or more costly incentives is a challenge for your business, consider including non-monetary perks, like additional vacation days, flexible work options or professional development opportunities."

"In-demand job seekers won't wait around, which makes limiting the time from initial applicant outreach to the final decision critical," Bottineau continued. "Streamline your hiring process and provide regular updates to prevent candidates from losing interest or accept a competing offer."