- Top talent attractors: remote working (49%), high salary (48%) and flexible working arrangements (44%)
- Top talent retainers: high salary (59%), flexible working arrangements (43%) and more benefits (43%)
Hong Kong’s ICT sector is among the most advanced in the world. As technology continues to develop at exponential rates—the quality of the industry rests largely on the calibre of IT professionals making the recruitment process even more critical to HR. Adam Johnston, Managing Director, Robert Half explained, “Hong Kong’s role as a leading technology hub in the Asia Pacific region owes much to the quality of IT professionals who work in the sector. Companies hoping to compete in an innovative landscape need the best IT talent to manage new and evolving technologies.”
New research independently commissioned by Robert Half reveals exactly what incentives IT employers are using to attract and retain top performing talent. Johnston stated, “Due to the ongoing skills shortage, IT candidates are firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to salary negotiation. Most companies are aware they need to reward their existing staff with above-average pay increases or risk losing them to the competition, which is why it’s essential employers frequently benchmark the salaries they offer to industry standards to make sure they’re competitive.”
According to the survey of 75 CIOs, the top three initiatives on offer to attract IT talent are remote working (49%), higher remuneration levels—such as base pay and bonuses (48%), and flexible work schedules (44%), suggesting that lifestyle benefits, combined with a higher salary, are key to attracting the IT workforce of the future.
Similar trends apply to staff retention. To avoid losing their top performers, Hong Kong’s IT employers are being proactive in their approach to staff retention. The top three initiatives CIOs have focused on over the last three years to retain staff are increased salary (59%), flexible work schedules (43%) and increased employee benefits (43%).
In conclusion, Johnston stated, “Companies are also diversifying their incentives to offer a more balanced lifestyle that appeals to the modern IT worker. Combined with remuneration, lifestyle and workplace benefits packages need to be tailored to the individual employee and their needs, which needs to be of an ongoing conversation between managers and their staff.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
