Recession has been 'positive' for IT industry

Research released by recruiter claims one in five IT employees questioned believe changes implemented during the downturn have benefitted their careers

Tech staff are among the most positive in the country when it comes to the impact of the recession.

That is the claim of specialist recruiter Randstad Technologies, which questioned 2,000 staff across the UK over change in their workplace since the recession hit.

A total of 19 per cent of workers believed changes brought on by the economic downturn have had a positive impact on the IT sector and their careers in particular, compared to a general 16 per cent of the wider UK workforce.

Breaking the results down further, the biggest changes mentioned by IT and technology workers were connected with workload and team sizes.

Over a third (34 per cent) felt that changes to targets and their workload have had the greatest impact over the recession, and 32 per cent mentioned the impact of working within smaller teams after changes to their company’s hiring policy.

Mike Beresford, managing director of Randstad Technologies, said: “The recession forced many companies to look at where costs could be saved, processes could be streamlined and teams could be managed more effectively.

“Trimming the fat may have meant increased workloads and targets for those left behind. But these changes have helped staff get used to working within a leaner environment, giving them better experience and a more honed skill set than they might have developed had more staff been around to share the workload,” he said.

Beresford added that the changes have meant more fulfilling careers. “Indeed previous research of our shows that 47 per cent of professionals say a heavier workload over the course of the recession has benefited their career in some way. And now the UK is in recovery mode, businesses are reaping the benefits of those changes.”

Do you agree with these claims? Let us know by commenting on the story.