Businesses lack skills for change management projects
Change management projects are on the rise, but businesses lack employees with relevant tech and business skills
Change management projects are on the rise, but companies lack employees with both the business and technical knowledge required to run them, according to recruitment firm Robert Walters.
Speaking to Computer Weekly, Natasha Brooks, head of IT at Robert Walters, said change management projects, although not a new buzzword, are now on the rise as companies try to cut back on their IT spending.
“Banking firms in particular will start a change management project looking for cost savings for the future. A graduate wouldn’t be offered such a role, so you need someone who knows both tech and the business – and this can be rare," she said.
“Some companies will bring in an agent to do so and some will build change management teams. Some will hire an agent just to get the job done, whereas some companies will nurture their talent for the project.”
According to the Robert Walters Salary Survey 2014, IT contractors saw year-on-year pay increases spike up to 13% between 2013 and 2014.
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Earnings for IT professionals contracted to firms in the London financial services sector saw the biggest salary increases. Contracted chief technology officers (CTOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) saw salaries rise from £1,000-£1,300 per day in 2013 to £1,100-1,500 in 2014.
However, Brooks said the best companies are not always the ones that overpay, but those that continue to invest in their staff.
“People don’t usually move just for salary. Salary is the deal breaker if they are not happy where they are, but employees want to know they are valued,” she said.
Brooks said other areas currently in demand include mobile apps and online transactions, adding that “strong developers in a wide range of technologies are always in demand”.
The Robert Walters European jobs index tracker last year saw a spike in advertised job roles for the third quarter of 2013, with the Midlands, North East and North West leading the way, while vacancies in London declined. The tracker found a national increase of 18% for the third quarter, compared with a 2% rise for the first and second quarters.
