AdminA new report has found that the majority of UK tech workers are dissatisfied with their current role.
The AI-powered site hackajob surveyed more than 1,000 tech workers in a variety of roles, from developers and engineers to data analysts and product managers.
The level of dissatisfaction was staggering – only 11% of respondents said they were happy to continue working in their current workplace. On the other hand, 77% were dissatisfied and looking for new jobs.
A new world of work
The What Tech Talents Want in the 2023 Report (opens in a new tab) revealed that employers are not offering the benefits and perks that employees are looking for.
Ways of working have changed since the global pandemic, with many still working remotely and flexibly. This in turn has re-prioritized what employees value most, and it looks like employers are still catching up.
Mark Chaffey, CEO and co-founder of hackajob, commented: “With past perks such as flexible working now seen as the norm, many companies are clearly struggling to understand what the new era of perks means for their business.
He added: “The gap between what companies offer and what tech workers want is causing concern at a time when there is no shortage of alternative job opportunities.”
These types of concerns seem to matter more to workers – perhaps employers are aware of this or are willing to admit it – as 20% of respondents said they were ready to leave their jobs as soon as possible to find a job that suits them their needs.
After wages, the company culture was the most important factor in attracting employees to their new role, and also the main reason why satisfied employees loved their current employer and wanted to continue working for him. The next most frequently chosen reason was the possibility of working flexibly/remotely.
On this note, tech workers say that working remotely is what they enjoy most about their current role, with 61% citing this aspect. Technology stack (34%), benefits (25%) and location (21%) were other factors chosen by respondents.
On the other hand, the distribution of remuneration (34%), lack of learning and development (32%) and lack of self-esteem (32%) as the main challenges and frustrations of employees at work was quite even.
Along with flexible work arrangements, another emerging work trend that is being discussed is the four-day workweek, and all tech workers seem to be in favor of it, with 83% wanting it to be implemented.
It also seems that tech workers have not been afraid to expose their labor demands to the massive layoffs that are happening in all corners of the tech industry, with giants like Google, Amazon, Meta, and of course, Twitter following suit.
Chaffey says that, in fact, “this couldn’t be further from the truth … many other ‘non-technical’ organizations are still gearing up to hire more technical staff than ever before as each company turns to technology as a critical part of their overall business strategy.”
“There are still many hiring organizations and now many more people are looking for new positions. While pay will always be crucial for any tech job seeker, it’s important for companies to look beyond just pay to retain the tech talent they already have.
In giving advice to employers, Chaffey is clear on how they should attract new hires: “Technology talents want to spend their free time exercising, spending time with family and friends, working on a project or hobby, and advancing their learning and development. The best benefits package will give talents free time to do what they want to do.”
