Could The Skills Gap Actually Be About... The Recruiters?

The shortage of tech talent in the UK is not as straightforward as we thought – it’s not just about the country not having enough actual people.

The problem is also in the recruiters, a new and comprehensive study suggests.

The study was done by the Stack Overflow website for developers, and surveyed more than 56,000 people living in 173 countries.

According to the survey, 73 per cent of developers in the UK are either actively looking for new jobs, or are ‘open to new opportunities’.

Approximately six per cent of those looking for work said the recruiters were the most annoying part of the job hunt, mostly because of their ‘lack of knowledge about the industry’.

“The 2016 Stack Overflow developer study reveals that the majority of UK developers are in fact open to new career opportunities, but at the moment some recruiters simply do not know how to attract and engage with developers, which in this market is a big problem. It’s vital that recruiters are given the right tools to develop their knowledge and understanding of how developers work. At Stack Overflow, we are committed to bridging the gap and driving this change” commented Angela Nyman, Director of International Marketing at Stack Overflow.

The report also says UK developers are among the highest paid in Europe, with an average annual salary of £45,387. When job hunting, their top priorities are salary, culture and a good work/life balance.

Gender equality is still far off, with just 5.5 per cent of UK respondents being female, but it seems as there are better times ahead: 24 per cent of females currently have less than two years’ experience, compared to 12 per cent of males.

The full report can be found on this link.

Author: Sead Fadilpašic
View the original article here.
Published under license from ITProPortal.com