2 in 3 IT pros bullish on their careers despite bearish economic outlook

Despite a potential economic downturn, more than two-thirds of technology and IT professionals say they’re completely confident in their career choices, according to results of a SolarWinds survey that were released in time with this year’s IT Pro Day on Sept. 20.

However, with the “great resignation” resulting in tens of millions of employees leaving the workforce or changing jobs, only half of respondents felt their companies have been adequately staffed in recent years.

To combat these staffing issues and recruit during a historically tight labor market, 59% of respondents said their company has added more flexibility in hours and work location, while a third (33%) said their employer has increased pay. 

Meanwhile, when asked what’s most important to them in their careers, IT pros ranked salary and work-life balance highest.

The IT Pro Day survey also found that a third (33%) of IT pros say they’re at least a little worried about their job futures with 22% having started a new job within the last year, and 51% percent said they’d at least considered doing so.

However, also about a third (34%) of those who changed positions said they loved their new job but 15% said their new position is worse than their previous one, while 54% said their new role is about the same.

When asked to rank what’s most important to them in their careers, pay and work-life balance were the top two responses chosen by IT pros. Still, nearly a third (31%) of respondents say they don’t feel fairly compensated in their role, and only 4% believe they’re overpaid.

IT pros were split on whether their companies had been staffed appropriately over the last two years, with half saying they feel like they’re doing two jobs and the other half replying their company is staffed adequately.

For those who feel their company is understaffed, relief may not be coming right away as 46% of respondents say their company has now either slowed or frozen hiring amid a potential economic slowdown.

“The new SolarWinds survey makes clear IT and technology sectors haven’t been immune to the staffing challenges posed by the ‘great resignation’ and pandemic,” said Thomas LaRock, SolarWinds Head Geek. 

“This is particularly challenging for IT teams because they’re not only feeling understaffed but also are expected to do more with less as network environments become increasingly complicated,” said LaRock. “Remote work and hybrid and multi-cloud environments have made it extremely difficult to keep networks—and businesses—running smoothly but these IT pros show up every day to get the job done.”