A guide for large enterprises – where to look for IT employees?

The development of technology means that despite the difficult economic situation, IT specialists are still needed in almost every industry. However, the huge demand has led to a large deficit – in January this year, it was estimated that there was a shortage of as many as 150,000 employees . This makes it very difficult to find and hire the right candidates. We suggest how and where to look for them!

An IT employee is worth his weight in gold – what is the situation on the Polish labor market?

The situation on the IT market is changing dynamically. The effects of recent years, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of war in Ukraine, are still being felt. On the one hand, threats include the economic and energy crisis and high inflation, but on the other hand, the growing popularity of issues related to artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Big Data and cybersecurity is a huge opportunity for the industry.

According to the economic situation report published by the Central Statistical Office in June 2023, the Information and Communication sector, together with the Finance and Insurance sector, are in the best situation. For now, experts do not predict a collapse in the number of orders. There is no crisis, but a certain cooling is observed – Garton Recruitment experts in their latest report noted that many companies are adopting a more passive attitude.

Until recently, there was talk of the end of the IT employee market. Is that really the case? Not entirely. According to research, after a drop in demand for IT specialists in the second half of 2022, demand began to grow again.

In Q1 2023, the Polish IT sector recorded its worst results in two years. However, experts believe that gradual adaptation to the uncertain situation and weakening inflation are already starting to result in a market rebound .

How to find a qualified IT employee?

According to data from the Grafton report , only 30.5% of respondents answered that they were looking for a job. In practice, the best specialists are already employed at the UOP or cooperate under a B2B contract. They are particularly needed, but there are very few of them.

Many companies invest in the development of juniors, financing their studies and additional professional courses. An interesting way to find young talents are also various competitions or hackathons (special events, so-called programming marathons). However, companies do not always have the space or appropriate funds for such ventures.

What to do when an experienced, qualified IT employee is needed “right away” ? The opportunity is the moment when the specialist decides to change jobs or starts thinking about it – the motivating factor is usually a higher salary. He or she will not likely participate in the standard recruitment process.

If you are looking for an IT employee with high competences, standard advertisements are not enough. In most cases, they will not reach the recipients at all, because they do not check such portals. Usually, specialists are not only difficult to find – they also need to be encouraged to cooperate. For this reason, the following work well:

• a referral system within the company – employees often have friends who may potentially be interested in establishing cooperation and can be approached directly. This task is entrusted to HR representatives;
• headhunting – using the services of a “headhunter”, i.e. a specialist who will find and recruit the best candidates, e.g. via LinkedIn;
• outsourcing IT engineers – using the services of an external company that will provide experienced and suitably qualified employees for the purpose of performing a given task, order or project, or for longer cooperation.

What do IT employees expect?

Finding a good candidate is only half the battle – you still need to convince them that the offer they are presented with is indeed attractive. For this reason, it is worth knowing that for IT employees, the following are still of primary importance:

• amount of salary,
• form of work (remote or hybrid),
• flexible working hours,
• form of employment (growing popularity of B2B contracts),
• benefits, including: private health care, gym memberships, catering.
• work on interesting and developing projects

Why is it worth deciding to outsource IT engineers?

Outsourcing IT engineers is becoming increasingly popular not only among large companies for many reasons. In practice, it is the most convenient and cost-effective solution.

The referral system, although effective, may not be enough when a larger team of specialists is needed. In turn, candidates found by headhunters do not always have to meet the company’s requirements. In both of these cases, ongoing cooperation is usually also necessary, and it is not always necessary.

In large companies, the process of acquiring new IT employees should be as accelerated and automated as possible. For this reason, it is best to entrust this task entirely to an external company.

The advantages of outsourcing IT engineers include:

• saving time – the company has a database of qualified specialists, so it can quickly find the best candidate or assemble an entire team;
• cost savings – there is no need to incur expenses related to acquiring, recruiting or training an employee;
• flexibility and scalability – outsourcing cooperation can take various forms and change according to current needs;
• security – an external company will ensure that candidates meet all requirements; proven specialists minimize the risk of problems and increase the chances of success of the order/project.

Are you considering outsourcing IT engineers? Choose professionals with many years of experience. ITDS will help you quickly find the best specialists, using our database of experienced programmers, developers, business analysts and project managers. We will help you find the perfect IT employee or assemble a well-coordinated team ready for action!