Three quarters of UK tech workers are unhappy in their jobs, new report finds

Remote working, company culture and the four-day week were among some the most attractive benefits for employees

Over three quarters (77 per cent) of tech talent in the UK are unhappy in their current jobs and actively seeking out new roles, according to a survey of over 1000 tech workers.

According to the report, What Do Tech Talent Want in 2023, by tech talent hub hackajob, only 11 per cent of UK tech talent are content to stay in their current role.

The findings also reveal a concerning disparity between what most UK employers are positioning as benefits and perks to attract and retain talent, and what talent actually want.

"Thanks to a global pandemic, a shaky economy and multiple layoffs, the report reveals a marked shift in technology industry attitudes towards job satisfaction," said Mark Chaffey, CEO and co-founder of hackajob.

"New priorities, new ways of working and changing relationships with work are leading to a brand new set of frustrations in the workplace. Employees want to be heard, recognised and valued.

"With former perks such as flexible working now being seen as the norm, many companies are seemingly struggling to figure out what the new era of benefits means for their business.

"The gap between what companies are offering, and what tech workers want is causing unrest at a time when there's no shortage of alternative job openings out there."

In fact, after compensation, the survey reveals that respondents are most attracted to a role and organisation by the overall culture (15 per cent) and mission (13 per cent)

Remote working (61 per cent) is the aspect tech talent seem to enjoy most about their jobs, ranking above tech stack (34 per cent), benefits (25 per cent) and location (21 per cent).

The report also found that the biggest work-related frustrations and challenges include salary (34 per cent), lack of learning and development (32 per cent) and not feeling valued (32 per cent).

A four-day week?

When asked about the four-day week, 83 per cent of respondents said they wanted to see it introduced.

Chaffey continued: "It's easy to think that the tech layoffs that happened in late 2022 and early 2023 have stilled the waters in tech hiring, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

"Whilst many companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have made several adjustments to their staff, many more "non-tech" organisations are still gearing up to make more tech hires than ever before as every company turns to technology as a critical part of their overall business strategy.

"But what does this mean for tech talent?

"Quite simply, there are still plenty of organisations hiring, and now many more people searching for new roles.

"Whilst salary will always be key to any tech job seeker, it is crucial that companies look outside of just remuneration in order to retain the tech talent they already have."

Chaffey urges companies to really nail their Employer Value Proposition - what their organisation offers that is different to anyone else - to help both hire and retain their staff.