Managers top IT hiring agenda

Jobless contractors are likely to talk up their management experience in the coming weeks, in response to firms saying leadership is still the main priority for their IT departments.



In its second survey since the downturn began, recruitment firm Hays found that staff who could lead people and processes were still top of the IT hiring agenda.



But despite a wider candidate pool, managerial leaders remain one of the hardest techies to find, in spite of twice as many being less fussy about pay than they were last year.



James Lloyd-Townshend, managing director at Hays IT, said pay has been "driven down because candidates are more readily available" and "generally have less negotiating power".



Though while pay and benefits are no longer the big sticking points at interview, the 'cultural fit' of the candidate is a growing problem for the employer, the survey also shows.



This perhaps explains why employers are spending more time on training and development; specifically on honing their IT managers' leadership and communication skills.



These efforts up-skilling their managerial ranks have boosted employers' confidence in their IT leaders, as eight out of 10 said the bosses of the department were up to the job.



But on the market, the calibre, and the supply, of these sought-after techies has also improved, as fewer employers say it is tough to find IT managers fluent in communication.



In terms of the technical requirements, Hays said the 122 IT bosses surveyed signalled a demand for enterprise architects and business intelligence consultants.



The agent said it was "beginning to see some evidence of recovery," but the latest REC Report on Jobs shows its member agents report no shortages of any contract IT skill. The report does show demand for permanent IT staff, however, but only within the business software space.



In its overview of the major sectors, the REC said: "Although temporary/contract staff billings decreased for an eleventh successive month in June, the latest fall was the least marked since last September The slower reduction in short-term appointments reflected a weaker drop in demand for temp staff.



"Temporary/contract staff hourly pay rates decreased for the ninth month running in June, and at a sharp rate. A number of respondents commented that negotiating power rested with employers as candidate supply continued to outstrip demand for staff."