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Good news for stressed out IT professionals—a TEKsystems survey of more than 1,000 IT workers indicates a vast positive change in the stability of IT staffing environments as compared to a year ago.
Eleven percent of entry- to mid-level IT professionals and 13 percent of senior IT professionals consider the work they are currently doing to be the most stressful of their career, a significant decrease from the 30 percent and 32 percent that said the same in 2014.
Nearly half of entry- to mid-level (47 percent) and senior-level (45 percent) IT professionals consider their current work to be the most satisfying of their career, an increase over 2014 levels (39 percent and 42 percent).
Seventy percent of entry- to mid-level and 81 percent of senior-level IT professionals say they are currently proud of their career in IT and are proud of their current role, assignments and responsibilities, with 91 percent and 85 percent indicating that they would go into IT again if given the chance to do things differently.
“The potential correlation between the drop in stress levels and the rise in pride is definitely an interesting take-away from the study,” TEKsystems’ research manager Jason Hayman told eWEEK. “First, we need to consider what has caused the drop in stress, and most likely it’s a combination of several factors. One factor is the high demand for IT talent among organizations of all shapes and sizes, but short supply of resources. While employees in other professions might stress about finding their next job, IT professionals are being actively pursued.”
Just 13 percent of senior-level IT professionals say they feel obligated to be accessible 24/7 during a normal work week in 2015, a significant drop from the 61 percent that said the same the previous year.
When on vacation, 83 percent of senior-level IT professionals say they are not expected to provide any availability, up considerably from the 30 percent that said the same in 2014.
Entry- to mid-level IT professionals have also seen shifting obligations with just 15 percent feeling the need to provide 24/7 accessibility during a normal work week, down from 27 percent in 2014.
Additionally, when on vacation, 85 percent of entry- to mid-level level IT professionals say they are not expected to provide any availability, up from 74 percent that said the same in 2014.
The survey also revealed 41 percent of entry- to mid-level IT professionals consider keeping up with technological advancements to be the most stressful part of their career, up significantly from the 29 percent that said the same in 2014.
“Keeping up with technology advancements will most likely be a constant stress point for IT professionals due to the speed at which technology changes. All occupations require workers to perform some level of training to keep their skill sets sharp,” Hayman said. “Most occupations also require that workers partake in some level of training or education in order to enhance existing skills, obtain new ones and better position themselves as an attractive job candidate or valuable company resource. In the world of IT, these things aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential for survival.”