The world of work has changed dramatically over the past few years. Social, economic, and global events have changed the landscape. These shifts have made indelible marks on the way we work and what we expect from our careers. So too have they changed what organisations offer, and how far they must go to meet employee expectations.
Over the course of the last 3 years, the tech industry and those who work within it, have been a part of this change. Digital transformation projects are abundant as businesses across every sector work to keep ahead of the consumer thirst for digital progress.
These digital transformation projects have created a wealth of tech, digital, and data opportunities. A recent Tech Nation report supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the Digital Economy Council has revealed that there’s been a huge push to encourage talent to enter the industry. Over the past year, the tech sector has created over 2 million vacancies.
Tech recruitment 2023.
Using report data from Haystack, a tech insights and careers marketplace, we have brought together the latest from the world of tech recruitment. In this blog, we’ll take you through some of the key findings.
The working environment.
Over the last year, there has been a significant shift in the way companies are choosing to work. Hybrid and remote working was forced upon us by the pandemic. With covid 19 restrictions firmly in the rearview, this is one legacy that has endured. Organisations have retained hybrid and remote working practices to allow their employees more autonomy and to promote a better work-life balance.
Of all the companies asked, 43% are offering fully remote opportunities. 42% are opting for a hybrid model, while 15% are back in the office full time.
When it comes to the tech community themselves, 81% of respondents are looking for either fully remote or hybrid opportunities. Companies who fail to meet the expectations of candidates will lose out to their more progressive competitors in the race for tech talent.
Tech salaries.
The tech industry is facing issues when it comes to disclosing salaries in job adverts. This is in contention with the wishes of tech job seekers. 92% of the survey respondents have reported that they want to see salaries disclosed in job adverts. It appears that company size is a big factor in whether this demand is met. The report analysed companies based on their employee sizes. It was discovered that the larger the company size, the less likely they are to disclose salary information.
97% of companies with 10,000+ employees don’t disclose salary information on roles.
67.8% of companies with 0-25 employees don’t disclose salaries on job adverts.
The most likely to disclose salary information are mid-size companies with 26-50 employees. 46.6% of these organisations include salary range of their job adverts.
Salary expectations.
The jobs market and the tech sector are experiencing significant skills shortages. In this environment, the candidate holds all the cards. Starting salaries in the tech sector are at an all-time high as companies bid for tech and digital talent.
So, what are the salary expectations of tech candidates?
The report looked at 5 key roles within the tech industry: full stack engineer, devops, backend engineer, data scientist and frontend engineer. The report then compared the average minimum salary that professionals would accept vs the average advertised salary (if there is one) on the same roles.
The responses indicate that on average techies are placing their minimum salaries below the average salary offered by companies. This means that when it comes to salary, there’s still some negotiation to be had. There’s wiggle room on both sides!
Trending technologies.
2022 saw JavaScript make it a decade at the top. For the 10th year in a row, it was the most used programming language. Indeed, 32% of senior developers noted JavaScript as their preferred tech stack, as well as 40% of junior developers listing JavaScript as a skill.
When the report looked at the Junior end of the careers ladder, the preferences looked a bit different. Amongst junior developers, Python came out top. 46% of juniors listed this as their preferred programming language.
Here are the top 5 tech stacks used by senior and junior developers.
Senior developers.
- JavaScript
- AWS
- React
- Python
- Nodejs
Junior developers.
- Python
- JavaScript
- HTML5
- CSS3
- React
Interested in popular programming languages? Read our recent blog on the Top Programming Languages of 2023.
Salary trends by technology.
As technology advances, not all companies work with the most popular programming languages. Some companies are seeking developers with a more niche tech stack.
Developers skilled in Kubernetes yield the highest salaries. Kubernetes salaries deliver an average of £64,120. At the other end of the scale, Linux yields the lowest paying salary; £48,488.
Here are the average salaries of the top 10 tech skills here in the UK.
- Kubernetes – £64, 120
- AWS – £57, 995
- Docker – £57, 026
- Java – £56, 028
- Azure – £54, 333
- Python – £54, 246
- SQL – £51, 542
- JavaScript – £51, 278
- Git – £50, 611
- Linux – £48, 488
Want more info on the Top Tech Jobs of 2023? Find our blog here.
Tech candidate considerations.
The unsteady and insecure economic climate means that candidates are taking longer to consider, evaluate and explore opportunities. It’s up to employers to tap into candidate concerns and make sure they can secure an acceptance on any offers made.
The report asked tech candidates about their considerations. These are their responses.
80% wanted a transparent salary and 77% favour remote or hybrid opportunities. 59% were concerned about the company culture, and 25% wanted strong leadership from their senior team.
58% are eager for personal progression and 51% ask for a tech stack match. Just under half of respondents (46%) are concerned about the company’s benefits.
Tech recruitment – The takeaways.
- Over 2 million tech job adverts were published last year.
- Remote/hybrid tech opportunities are the favoured working model.
- JavaScript is the top programming language…again.
- Kubernetes devs have the highest price tag.
- 92% of respondents want to see salaries disclosed in job adverts.
If this insight into the tech recruitment space has left you wanting more, you’ll love our monthly look into the Recruitment Landscape. We investigate the trends and issues affecting the recruitment space. You’ll find the past issues in the Industry News section of our blog.