The so-called “Great Resignation” is an interesting side effect of the COVID pandemic. Companies focused on getting people to return to work have found that far fewer wish to return than expected. Employees are simply quitting. During April, May, and June of 2021, 11.5 million workers in the U.S. simply quit their jobs. [1] Currently, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for this unprecedented trend.
Many companies have succession plans for senior staff leaving, but this resignation event was unexpected. The result is companies with gaps at many levels within all departments. Interestingly, most resignations were not among older workers. The majority have been mid-career professionals in their 30s and 40s.[2] People are being moved into management positions that may not yet be prepared. Work may not be getting done at lower levels. This has led to organizational instability in many companies struggling to retain existing personnel and replace personnel that have recently left. The tech sector is among the hardest hit with a 4.5% increase in resignations.[3] This is a good news/ bad news scenario for those in IT staffing.
1 Million Job Openings
Even before the great resignation and COVID, there were approximately 1 million unfilled IT job vacancies in the United States. A Microsoft study found that 41% of workers were thinking about a career change.[4] And the number continues to grow with the great resignation.
At this point, the debate is raging why the great resignation is happening. Just a few months ago it was widely assumed that the end of stimulus payments would bring people back to work, but this has failed to materialize. Currently, analysts believe that the great resignation is a side-effect of a reassessment of work in the context of COVID, a rejection of antiquated management practices, a lack of available childcare for working parents, and a reaction to what has been decades of lagging compensation.[5]
For those of you thinking of getting into IT, this is a perfect time. Leaders are looking ahead, for talented, hardworking people skilled in emerging technologies to close gaps, rather than simply replacing legacy skills. The demand for IT resources continues to grow. There has never been a better time to get into an IT career.
Not only do you have more vacancies, but you have vacancies in positions that you might not have anticipated. With many of the mid-tier departures, this creates job advancement opportunities for entry-level IT workers to move up. If you are ready to manage, that opportunity may be coming sooner than you think.
If you are interested in emerging technologies and a career in IT, please contact Smoothstack for more information. http://smoothstack.com
[1] https://www.inc.com/phillip-kane/the-great-resignation-is-here-its-real.html
[2] https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation
[3] https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation
[4] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index
[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/10/07/top-reasons-great-resignation-workers-quitting/
