2024 Global Tech Talent & Salary Report

Alternative routes into technology are on the rise

Tech team proposition

The expectations of technologists from their roles and companies are changing. While many are looking for new opportunities (44%), their reasons have never been more exacting.

While 55% of technologists are looking for better pay, globally, flexibility, healthcare benefits and workplace culture rank highest on their list of demands from any new employer. However, for organisations it’s about satisfying both the reasons they want to leave and what would attract them.

The expectations of technologists from their roles and companies are changing. While many are looking for new opportunities (44%), their reasons have never been more exacting.

While 55% of technologists are looking for better pay, globally, flexibility, healthcare benefits and workplace culture rank highest on their list of demands from any new employer. However, for organisations it’s about satisfying both the reasons they want to leave and what would attract them.

Despite economic headwinds, the sector continues to pay well with 45% of tech professionals receiving a pay rise in the last 12 months. Technologists working in Europe were more likely to receive a pay rise (49%) than those working in the UK (45%) or the US (39%).

When it comes to skills, exclusive insights by LinkedIn predict most of the fastest-growing AI skills are not the current top skills, indicating just how AI skills will continue to evolve.

AI promises huge opportunities for companies and our findings suggest that cultural resistance has significantly reduced, with only 25% saying it is a barrier to effective automation strategy. The real challenge facing tech teams is around strategy and securing the resources and budget to implement AI effectively.

As AI begins to permeate all aspects of work, technologists appear to be somewhat uncertain as to the impact on their roles, with 31% stating that a major part of their role would be automated, but 45% feeling there would be little to no change.

DE&I - Merit or diversity?

The business case for diversity has been proved time after time but our research reveals a paradox. Tech workers seem to be largely ambivalent with the majority perfectly satisfied with the current status, yet our respondent pool suggests the sector remains far from diverse.

Qualitatively, technologists want to work in a meritocracy rather than focus on minority quotas, but meritocracy requires diversity if biases are to be avoided.