HOLLAND – In general, West Michigan companies seem to be holding steady on technology hiring. Sixty percent continue to plan on hiring more tech staff in the next six months just as they did for all of 2015.
Fewer, only about 50 percent, are raising salaries. Perhaps this is because in 2015 more than 75 percent of companies already raised IT pay.
Usually more mid-level staff is needed than senior or junior workers, but for 2016 more companies, 70 percent, say they are willing to hire less-experienced IT talent.
This is good news for new graduates from our colleges. Applications workers, analysts and web developers, as usual are in highest demand with 70 percent of companies in the survey telling Paragon they need them. There is the most variation through the years in need for support staffers.
“Because of the scarcity of technical talent overall, companies are willing to look at junior workers,” said Paragon’s chief recruiting officer Beth DeWilde. “This gives them the impression that there is a larger pool of candidates to choose from. Perhaps they also hope to secure candidates with fewer established habits whom they can mold to their company’s culture.”
Twice each year, since 2003, Paragon Recruiting in Holland, polls senior IT managers in the West Michigan market to determine what the future holds for IT staffing, outsourcing, and pay rates. Each forecast includes responses from nearly 100 companies, with about 80% represented continually in the results.
