Locations

Choose your language:

Australia

Belgium

Canada

China

France

Germany

Hong Kong

India

Ireland

Japan

Netherlands

New Zealand

Singapore

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

United States

× Global Search Results
  1. Home
  2. Insights
  3. Newsroom

OMG! TEKsystems Finds That 73% of the IT Workforce is Under the Age of 45!

Jul 13, 2010 | HANOVER, MD | For media inquiries, please contact us at media@TEKsystems.com.

HANOVER, MD – July 13, 2010 – A recent study conducted by TEKsystems® reveals that 73% of today’s IT workforce is under the age of 45. This age dynamic is likely to impact the way effective IT leaders manage their teams, especially as 60% of IT leaders expect to increase spending on IT projects over the next six months. To meet the demand increases for IT projects and the associated talent requirements of these undertakings, 81% of IT leaders expect to increase or maintain their percentage of temporary workers in the second quarter.

TEKsystems, the nation’s leading technology staffing and services company, partners with the Inavero Institute to conduct its quarterly IT and Talent Survey. This quarter’s survey reflects the perspectives of nearly 1,000 CIOs and IT decision makers in the U.S. and Canada.

As reported by respondents, there are four generations working side by side in today’s IT workforce.

  • "Silent Generation," Born between 1922 – 1946: 1% of the IT workforce "Baby Boomers," Born between 1946 – 1964: 26% of the IT workforce
  • "Generation X," Born between 1964 – 1980: 52% of the IT workforce
  • "Millennials," (also known as “Generation Y”) Born between 1980 – 2000: 21% of the IT workforce

Rapid changes in the workplace are affecting how these generations interact. “As organizations are downsizing, merging, acquiring and/or consolidating, they are also eliminating many middle management positions and moving toward flatter organizational structures with more limited upward mobility,” says TEKsystems Market Research Manager, Tania Lavin. “This trend, coupled with various technological drivers, results in situations where candidates from different generations increasingly compete for the same jobs.”

“When considering the strengths and weaknesses across generations, many IT leaders face a trade off,” says TEKsystems Director of Technical Professional Programs, Michelle Webb. “In general terms, the more senior workers tend to offer a stronger understanding of the business, the customer and the organization’s political environment. However, given the speed at which IT changes, the younger generations can sometimes offer more technical expertise in the hottest new tools and technologies.”

To complicate matters, each generation brings its perspectives and ideals to the workplace. Research shows that those in the Silent Generation cite respect as a motivating factor. They tend to have a very dedicated work ethic and respond well to messages that reassure them: "Your experience is respected here." The Baby Boomers are similar, but tend to seek more personal gratification. They prefer face-to-face meetings and find encouragement from messages that say: "Your contribution is important to us."

“The younger generations are not as easy to please, as they require organizations to make significant changes to their employee value proposition,” says Webb. “Moreover, between what Generation X seeks and what the Millennials are looking for, there are some potentially conflicting differences.” For example, Generation X tends to be more self-motivated, compensation-driven and individualistic. They prefer to act autonomously, resist authority and appreciate an employer that says: "Do it your way” or “We are not very formal here.” The Millennials, on the other hand, seek a high level of recognition, expect their leaders to teach them new information and strongly prefer a team-oriented environment. They are motivated by messages such as: "You'll be working with a team of bright, creative people" or "Our company values employees who will work together toward a common vision." Another key characteristic of Millennial workers is their desire for greater degrees of work/life balance and effective use of new or emerging technologies.

“Businesses and IT leaders will need to make adjustments to their resource management strategies to accommodate the varied demographics of their workforce,” says TEKsystems VP of Professional Development, Matt Hannigan. “You can’t expect to manage a new generation by old standards. Leaders will need to be vigilant in understanding what’s important to workers, what they expect, what inspires them and what stifles their passion.”

Consider how modern talent attraction and retention strategies are changing. According to the survey, 30% of IT decision-makers currently leverage social media to post positions, advertise and perform background checks. Moreover, to retain employees post recession, many companies are exploring more Millennial-based benefits. Forty-two percent say they are increasing professional development opportunities, 40% are allowing more flexible schedules and 25% are offering telecommuting options – compared to only 24% that increased compensation.

Hannigan further says, “Today, IT leaders must not only pay attention to technology trends, business drivers and budgets, they also must recognize and respond to social changes that will undoubtedly affect the dynamics of their workplace.” Clearly, times they are a changing. To stay competitive, IT leaders will need to invest the time, energy and resources required to change with them.

Note to Media: Certain names, products, and services listed in this document are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective companies. All TEKsystems news releases are available on the Internet, via the TEKsystems Web site at http://www.teksystems.com. Additional information on TEKsystems can be accessed online or by sending an email to media@teksystems.com.

About TEKsystems

People are at the heart of every successful business initiative. At TEKsystems, an Allegis Group company, we understand people. Every year we deploy more than 80,000 IT professionals at 6,000 client sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Our deep insights into IT human capital management enable us to help our clients achieve their business goals–while optimizing their IT workforce strategies. We provide IT staffing solutions and IT services to help our clients plan, build and run their critical business initiatives. Through our range of quality-focused delivery models, we meet our clients where they are, and take them where they want to go, the way they want to get there.