In the midst of a global talent shortage, finding the right people is no mean feat. Especially when it comes to hiring tech talent—the engineers, developers, product managers, and marketers we need to drive our companies forward.
Now that the hiring freezes have thawed and companies around the world are intent on accelerating their growth, competition for tech talent has exploded. Not just for burgeoning tech startups, but also in larger organizations constantly on the lookout for tech professionals.
One recent Mckinsey survey found that 87% of companies are either already experiencing a talent shortage or expecting to face one within a few years. It’s even harder to fill certain technical positions such as in data engineering, cyber security, DevOps, and AI.
As our Future of HR report found, recruiting and onboarding the best talent is an urgent priority for 67% of organizations. Our guide to attracting, hiring, and retaining tech talent aims to address these challenges, and lay out a blueprint for differentiating your company, so you can recruit the tech talent you need.
Tech talent scarcity: How we got here
The talent squeeze didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a symptom of a new, post-pandemic era for hiring and people management. In this highly competitive landscape, the old rules no longer apply.
For example, our assumptions around work, both as companies and professionals, have changed fundamentally. Flexibility and the freedom to work from anywhere (or remotely, at least) has gone from a perk, to a pandemic-induced necessity, and finally to an expectation. Before the pandemic, 17% of U.S. employees worked from home five days or more per week, but that number shot up to 44% during the pandemic.
As expectations of the workplace have evolved, so too must our approach to hiring tech talent. Ping pong tables, on-site gyms, and free coffee might have seemed adequate perks in the past, but today’s tech professionals want more meaningful benefits.
They want greater flexibility, better working conditions, growth opportunities, and a strong mission to rally behind. To attract the best talent, it’s incumbent on modern organizations to place these things ahead of superficial perks.
Bridging the tech talent gap
As we explain in our guide to hiring tech talent, skilled individuals are everywhere. Tech professionals exist outside of major hubs such as London, San Francisco, and Berlin, and to attract top tech talent, you need to look beyond these cities. It’s time to place greater emphasis on a candidate’s ability than their location.
Leading tech companies themselves are decentralizing their operations in favor of a distributed workforce. Twitter recently announced their shift to supporting ‘a distributed workforce, capable of working from anywhere’, and Spotify followed suit earlier this year. While the move to distributed work can be challenging, it offers the dual benefits of greater flexibility to employees and a wider talent pool for you to choose from.
Location isn’t everything. Ultimately, it’s about differentiating your organization so tech candidates find it hard to turn down the opportunity to work there. This isn’t just a question of money (although paying fairly is important). It’s also about fostering an inclusive culture, building a supportive structure, and offering a solid work-life balance.
Providing an excellent working environment goes beyond flexible working hours and geographies. It’s about embracing and celebrating diversity, as well as committing to a mission that unites and inspires the whole company.
Being transparent around why the organization exists also sends a powerful message to prospective employees. Your brand story and your mission statement send a powerful message to prospective employees—but they also help you attract like-minded people. Be clear on what your company stands for, and why candidates should join your cause.
Hire top tech employees faster
The race is on for hot tech talent, and companies everywhere are grappling with the challenges of finding and hiring tech professionals. Staying on top of this evolving landscape is crucial in order to keep pace with the competition and attract the people you need.
With our guide to attracting, hiring and retaining tech talent, you’ll be equipped to find and onboard the tech professionals who can take your company forward now and in the future.
Download our guide to hiring top tech professionals to discover more.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, hire, pay, manage, develop and take care of a thriving global workforce. It lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
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