Employers are having to sell themselves to IT candidates, as a firm’s culture becomes an increasingly significant differentiator, according to a survey of 5,000 UK IT professionals by recruitment group Computer People.

The findings illustrate the increasing importance of adapting to the requirements of staff, said Computer People’s Nick Dettmar.

“IT workers are now being seen as the people who can make innovative, progressive stuff happen, and they are more highly regarded for it. They’re not just the ‘beards in the basement’ anymore,” he said.

Seventy per cent of respondents cited the quality of their working environment as highly important, while 75 per cent said that they valued strong working relationships with colleagues.