Professional services recruiter Morgan McKinley has revealed that there has been a rise in demand for highly-skilled IT professionals with huge growth in front end development and software engineering. But large companies and industry giants are actually losing out on the top IT talent to SMEs and startups in the sector. Rather than competing on salary, small startups are able to offer stock options and benefits, such as flexible working hours and the ability to take on more responsibility and innovate, which are proving to be attractive to professionals.
‘Salary levels are increasing across the board but it is important to underline that in the most vibrant areas of IT, other benefits such as equity, flexible working hours and the ability to take on more responsibility and innovate can count for far more. Developers, in particular, are likely to take a job with a tech firm that has a positive buzz in preference to a more hierarchical and less innovative company, even if the latter is offering a significantly higher basic income.’