According to recruitment agency Beyond Recruitment, over 70 per cent of employers in New Zealand’s IT and Transformation (IT&T) sector intend to take on new staff in the next 12 months.
“New project initiatives, notably in the digital transformation space, are the key driver of positive hiring intentions in the next 12 months,” Beyond says in its just-released 2016 Economic & Labour Report.
“Typical in-demand talent includes people who can drive change, take people on these journeys and manage complex and ongoing change environments.”
It adds: “Gender diversity in the sector is becoming a focus of many organisations, especially in technical and leadership roles. This is a challenge, but is also adding to a very fertile IT&T job market.”
IT&T is also one of the few sectors where demand outside of Auckland is strong.
“In general, we have not yet seen a material increase of labour flow out of Auckland and into other regions due to property pressure north of the Bombay Hills,” Beyond says. “However, IT&T bucks this trend with measurable interest in jobs outside of Auckland, and expats and new migrants preferring to seek work in other regions, notably Wellington… Migrants and expats returning to New Zealand have more interest in Wellington than they did 12 months ago, with Auckland property prices and public transport often being the reasons given.”
CEO Liza Viz said: “Digital transformation – the disruptive transformation of business in an agile environment – poses issues for employers who are desperate to find the skills to work through this fast moving change. These skills are not easily available locally, and attracting international talent is an issue…particularly into regions where housing is unaffordable whether looking to rent or buy.”
Beyond also sees a flow-on effect to other industries. “Businesses aligned to products and services that feed into the IT&T, public sector and construction and engineering sectors are exhibiting confidence in terms of hiring intentions and general growth. By way of example, car dealers in Auckland are reporting a noticeable demand for new vehicles from professionals and trades workers in the Construction and Engineering sector, and subsequently there is an increased demand for salespeople and service technicians in the automotive industry, especially in Auckland.”