Tech Pros Concerned Less with Outsourcing than Keeping Skills Current;
Outsiders See Technology Industry as 'Run-of-the-Mill'
NEW YORK, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Dice Inc., the leading provider of
job boards and job fairs for technology, engineering and security-cleared
professionals, today announced the results of the first Dice Tech Appeal
Index, a planned semi-annual survey of professionals from within and
outside the technology industry that gauges the overall interest in working
in the IT field as compared to other industries.
The survey found the technology career path to have strong appeal among
technology professionals, based partially upon their high levels of job
satisfaction, with an overwhelming 94 percent of those surveyed reporting
satisfaction with their current positions. The drivers of the high
satisfaction among this group include job enjoyment (40 percent), good pay
(34 percent), "liking" their field (34 percent), and the ability to be
creative (23 percent). The survey also revealed a high likelihood of tech
professionals to recommend their field to others (88 percent).
"The technology job market has improved significantly since 2004. Job
postings on Dice.com alone have increased 119 percent in the last two
years," said Scot Melland, President and CEO of Dice Inc. "The survey
findings demonstrate that the technology field is not only growing, but it
is thriving as an attractive career path for professionals."
The survey also found that technology professionals understand the
value of keeping their skills up-to-date, with 82 percent "very" or
"somewhat" concerned with this issue. Comparatively, only 41 percent are
concerned with their job being outsourced and 37 percent are concerned
about being laid off due to budget cuts.
"Technology professionals are clearly more concerned about factors in
their career that they have control over, such as keeping their skills
current," continued Mr. Melland. "Although a segment of the IT community
continues to be concerned with layoffs and outsourcing, overall, technology
professionals understand that by keeping their core skills up-to-date, they
become more valuable for their current and future employers and less at
risk for losing their jobs."
Outside the technology industry, the industry's appeal looks rather
different and suggests that technology has mixed appeal as a career option
to non-tech professionals. The survey found that 64 percent of non-tech
adults are likely to recommend a career in technology. Comparatively, 73
percent of non-tech adults were likely to suggest a career in the
healthcare industry to others, while 48 percent would recommend financial
services.
As a result of the survey's findings, Dice created a composite Tech
Appeal Index score which will serve as a measurement of a person's
inclination to recommend the IT field to others as opposed to another
industry. A value of 100 indicates that a person would recommend the IT
field and other fields equally, while a value above 100 indicates a
stronger likelihood to recommend technology as a career. For the Spring
2006 study, the Index score for technology professionals was 123.7 while
non-tech adults rated 104.5.
"Not surprisingly, the Index score reveals that technology
professionals have a higher likelihood to recommend technology careers to
others than non- tech adults," said Mr. Melland. "Unfortunately, the
technology field seems to have lost some of the luster and appeal it had
only a few years ago. It's critical that the industry address this image
problem immediately if we are to generate more computer science graduates
and effectively reach out to professionals from non-traditional
backgrounds."
Dice Inc. conducted the survey among a nationally representative sample
of more than 1,000 adults over age 18, including an oversample of 492
adults currently employed in IT positions. The margin of error for the
sample of non- tech adults is +/-4.6 percent and the margin of error for
the sample of tech professionals is +/-4.2 percent. Interviews were
conducted by telephone between February 13 and February 21, 2006.
For more information on Dice and its resources, please visit:
http://about.dice.com.
About Dice Inc.
Dice Inc. is the leading provider of job boards and job fairs for
technology, engineering and security-cleared professionals. With a 15-year
track record in meeting the ever-changing needs of the technology sector,
our specialty industry focus and exposure to the most skilled tech-centric
audience online foster a talent marketplace where employers reach hard-to-
find, experienced and qualified technology, engineering and
security-cleared professionals.
Dice Inc. provides services to help recruiters, consultants and
businesses hire and train specialized technology, engineering and
security-cleared professionals through its four businesses: Dice, the
leading online career site for technology and engineering professionals
(http://www.dice.com); ClearanceJobs.com, the premier secure job board focused
exclusively on candidates with active or current U.S. Government security
clearances (http://www.clearancejobs.com); Targeted Job Fairs, a leading provider
of career fairs for technology, engineering and security-cleared candidates
nationwide (http://www.targetedjobfairs.com); and MeasureUp, a leading destination
for IT certification practice tests, assessments and online courses
(http://www.measureup.com).
SOURCE Dice Inc.
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Related links:
http://about.dice.com
http://http://www.dice.com
CONTACT:
Media, Jennifer McCullam of Financial
Dynamics, +1-212-850-5600, jmccullam@fd-us.com, for Dice Inc.
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