Of the 700 respondents, 82 percent weren't happy in their current jobs. Spherion Group, which conducted the survey, also found that enjoying work was a major factor for 38 percent of those surveyed. Pay was a major factor for 12 percent of respondents.
However, Grant Montgomery, managing director at executive search consultancy E.L. Consult, believes that a shortage of good jobs in the industry has meant that job satisfaction is less prominent in people's minds.
Montgomery also thinks that IT professionals are more task-focussed, taking pride in completing a particular task, rather than just the environment of a company.
Chris Sandham, NSW state manager at recruitment firm IT&T Careers, also agreed that a lot of IT employees are just fairly happy that they're in work. But he doesn't believe that this necessarily equates with job satisfaction. "I think there's probably less job satisfaction out there because wherever you go there's pressure," Sandham said.
He also believes that upskilling in new technologies keeps IT professionals challenged, particularly for those who like dynamic work environments.
Dear Editor
I have never written a letter of complaint in my life but am I fuming. With over 12 years IT experience working for companies such as Telstra, Scitec and Powerlan and current qualifications as CNE, MCSE, CCNP, I have spent the past few months pulling my hair out looking for a job in all capital states. What strikes me as unbelievable is that the Australian IT industry is one of the only employment sectors in Australia that has no union representation. The CEPU needs to evolve itself from merely representing government employees in Telstra into the private sector.
What is happening to people in IT at the moment can only be described as corporate rape ! One job I was offered recently in Brisbane ( 3 month cisco WAN contract ) went from $45 an hour to $30 an hour overnight at the same agency. By the time you take out the fact that superannuation is deducted, no training, sick leave, holiday etc, I'd be better off pouring cappucinos with no stress. At the same time written into the contract was that I could be sued if the network was off the air ! I couldn't imagine what the public liability insurance for something like that would be !
Another agency I was interviewed by in Brisbane was Hayes IT - The infrastructure recruitment officer ( Megan ) had been employed for 3 weeks and didn't know what a cisco router was and that's the truth.
We have unskilled people perusing resumes with no comprehension of technology and skills and this is across the board and in every state. Unless you resume is filled with every qualification in the book it is dumped in the bin as there are so many people looking for work. The CEPU needs to get involved and set guidelines such as something below
MCSE - NO Experiernce - $30 per hour
MCSE - 2 - 5 years experience - $45 an hour
CCNP - As above
CCNA, MCSE - $50 per hour
Until something like this is done the fact remains that employers will just hire a newly arrived Immigrant who will work for $15 an hour, just ask Powerlan !
I was made redundant from my previous employment because I refused to sign a new contract which wanted me to work overtime whenever called upon , 7 x 24 hours on call and work public holidays all without any extra remuneration and all cleverly disguised with a carrot you would never get to taste !
I am working again for the government in IT and have a very sour taste in my mouth at our industry. I personally know highly skilled people in Melbourne, that 2 years ago were considered gurus in their area who have now been unemployed for 9 months.
I certainly would not encourage anyone to go into IT. It is run by a complete bunch of managerial morons who seem to go from one IT company to another every year or so.
Hows this for a scenario !
I run a business and launch a new product - I've got to beg borrow and plead for people to buy my
product - however in IT it all works like this
A company launches a new product and IT resellers pay that company a **** load of money to train their staff to be able to deploy and sell it
Can you imagine what would happen in the industry if every IT company turned around to microsoft and said stick it - we aint going to sell your product unless you pay for our technical staff to be trained in your product ! Companies would save millions of dollars in training employees, standard wages across the board would be adopted
and there would be more jobs for people in this industry.
It's never going to happen because the IT industry is filled with gutless managers - even my own manager in my previous employment said he would never put his job on the line to stop workers being exploited !
If every manager from every IT Reseller all got together to work in with each other to reduce their costs esp training we may see the IT slump start to pick up. It will never happen so we need a union to come in and demand better employment standards and conditions.
As far me I'm only working in IT now so th