Over half tech leaders in Canada plan to expand teams in 2020
EP&T Magazine
Electronics Engineering recruitment recruitment technology TechnologyProject-based hires a priority as talent pool remains tight
Technology recruitment in Canada will grow in the first half of the new year, but hiring challenges persist, suggests a new survey from staffing firm Robert Half Technology. According to the latest State of Tech Hiring research from Robert Half, 54 per cent of IT decision makers anticipate expanding their team in the next six months. Almost all (95 per cent) tech leaders surveyed are confident in their company’s prospects for growth in the first half of 2020. 
Respondents cited the following technical skills as immediately needed for their organizations:
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud (computing, security, architecture)
- Business intelligence and reporting services
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation (Oracle/PeopleSoft, SAP)
- DevOps
Nearly all IT managers polled (96 per cent) said they plan to bring on interim professionals. Of those, 60 per cent say hiring consultants is part of their overall hiring strategy and 55 per cent will look to temporary staff if a role becomes vacant and isn’t filled quickly.
Below, technology leaders ranked their strategic and staffing priorities for the first half of 2020:
| Strategic | Staffing |
| 1. Maintaining security and safeguarding company information | 1. Training and upskilling current talent |
| 2. Automating processes to increase productivity and reduce costs | 2. Attracting new talent |
| 3. Digital transformation projects/initiatives | 3. Retention of my existing team |
“Top tech candidates are receiving multiple job offers simultaneously, which means IT leaders need to make quick hiring decisions or risk losing skilled talent to competitors ― an adaptive and efficient process is key,” said Deborah Bottineau, district president of Robert Half Technology. “To avoid prolonged vacancies, managers should consider bringing on project-based tech professionals who can help keep productivity up in the interim and prevent heavier workloads from overwhelming the rest of the team.”
“With the rising need for professionals with cybersecurity, cloud and business intelligence skills, tech leaders need to make sure they’re providing an attractive overall package to skilled applicants,” added Bottineau. “In addition to offering competitive compensation and benefits, fostering a strong organizational culture that promotes professional development goes a long way for companies looking to boost recruitment and retention of in-demand IT workers.”
