Main image of article Majority of Engineers May Job Hop in 2014
With tech salaries rising a modest 3 percent last year and IT professionals realizing the best way to bump up their salaries is land a new job, it’s not all that shocking that a new study finds more than 60 percent of engineers may seek a new job in 2014. And, of this group, 40 percent are already looking, according to the survey conducted by Experis, a unit of ManpowerGroup. 2014 Opportunities“At the same time, 95 percent of hiring managers of engineers report difficulty filling open engineering positions,” the company reports. “Eighty-eight percent of these plan to hire engineers this year, while 29 percent do not believe they will be able to find the engineering talent they need for their businesses. Electrical/electronics engineers ranked highest on the list of the most in-demand.” With engineers finding compensation growth rather lackluster and new opportunities plentiful, hiring managers and recruiters may potentially find a greater pool of available talent. The survey of 700 engineers and 200 hiring managers also found that when it comes to engineers:
  • 72 percent work eight to 10 hours a day
  • 58 percent rarely or never have the option to work remotely
An increasing number of companies are beginning to offer the ability to telecommute, especially in Silicon Valley – with the exception of Yahoo, which may be another reason engineers are looking for new opportunities. Of the companies surveyed, 17 percent seek electrical/electronics engineers, 14 percent mechanical or manufacturing engineers and 6 percent each for chemical and computer engineers. According to a separate talent shortage survey, engineers have been among the top 10 most difficult positions to hire every year since 2008, two years after the annual survey began. For hiring managers of engineers, the Experis survey reports challenges filling positions stem from a lack of applicants, 44 percent, lack of hard skills needed for the position, 37 percent, lack of experience, 33 percent, salary demands that are too high, 29 percent, and lack of workplace competencies/soft skills, 23 percent.