With the arrival of the pandemic, the need arose for fast digital transformations and an agile working approach to the ‘stay at home’ orders issued at the beginning of the first lockdown in March of 2020. The increased need for technology solutions for businesses to continue operating during the most uncertain economic climate seen in a lifetime, could be directly related to the increase in vacancies for IT professionals that have continued to accelerate in 2021. Hiring levels in June represent the fourth record breaking month of the year and according to research conducted by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), hiring levels in the first half of 2021 currently make up 91 percent of the total of tech hires for the whole of 2020.
Hybrid working drives demand for IT professionals as the economy comes back to life
Gone are the days of full time, office-based working. Many businesses are now implementing hybrid working policies that allow for employees to split their work hours between home and the office. According to business intelligence specialists Vacancysoft, this new way of work has seen firms in England and Wales post 11,553 vacancies in June alone, marking the first time this year that hiring levels have breached 10,000. This sudden burst of advertised positions can be attributed to the removal of the work-from-home rule on 19 July, Freedom Day in the UK, and companies were pressed to have their hybrid working models in place and operational.
Data from Vacancysoft also revealed that the technology arena was responsible for the most professional IT vacancies which made up 43.2 percent of total vacancies in June of this year. Banking followed in second place, with 12.4 percent.
Amazon retains spot as top hirer
Across the companies hiring for IT talent in the first half of 2021, Amazon topped the table with 854 vacancies. The data also reveals that there was notable hiring activity at Sky, which published 771 senior IT roles in the first six months of the year, and JPMorgan Chase & Co who recruited for 742 tech experts over the same period.
Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo comments: “The fact that IT vacancies continue to perform so well is incredibly encouraging and reflective of not only the huge reliance on remote working, but also employers’ reliance on these experts to facilitate and implement hybrid working models as Freedom Day approached in June. As the country continues to open up and recover from the pandemic we don’t expect any let up in demand for IT talent as hybrid working practices look set to be a firm part of our future.”
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