As we find ourselves navigating a community outbreak of Covid-19 once again, I must say that things feel a bit different in our industry with the benefit of experience. With this being round two at Alert Level 4 and with a few short tours of duty at Alert Level 3, the transition to remote work and lockdown life has felt like less of a jolt this time around.

While this situation is still undeniably challenging, for most I.T. and technology businesses, the attitude has very much been ‘we’ve been here before, we are prepared, and we can get through it again.’ Businesses were prepared to transition their current workforce to work from home and also have processes in place for recruiting, onboarding, and inducting employees remotely.

In last year’s Alert Level 3 and 4, we saw a dip in hiring as companies faced the unknown, but this time around, our clients have generally future-proofed their businesses for this scenario, and the roles – both permanent and contract – keep flooding in!

Not only are clients still hiring, but they are also poised to expedite the recruitment process and make quick decisions in this highly competitive and talent-short market. They know that hot talent won’t be on the market for long, so they need to move quickly to secure the skills they need for their key projects and critical business processes.

In recent weeks we have also seen the pause on MIQ bookings; and the increasingly grim situation over the ditch, which indicates the trans-Tasman bubble appears to have well and truly popped. It’s now even harder to bring in talent from offshore or attract expats back to our shores, so employers need to source the best talent they can in the local market, or look to alternatives like Recruit I.T.’s offshore talent offering.

We’ve seen the tech sector mature significantly in the last 12 to 18 months, and many of our clients are continuing to implement exciting new technologies, and embark on significant business transformation projects, showing us they are committed to investing and growing their businesses despite the current Covid environment.

In previous lockdowns or periods of heightened alert levels, we have understandably seen some cautiousness in the candidate market, with people reluctant to risk leaving a secure position for the relative unknown of a new company.

However, Covid-19 has forced businesses to focus on projects centred around data quality, digital consumer engagement, automation of traditionally manual tasks through DevOps and Automation, and other large-scale business transformation projects that require long-term investment in skilled people.

If you have been thinking about making a move, or going contracting, what better time to reach out to our team for a confidential chat. We have new roles coming across our desks daily, so even if we don’t have your dream job open right now, register your interest to be first in line when something great comes in!

We hope all our clients, candidates and partners are staying safe during this challenging time. As always, reach out to us if we can assist in any way!



Cheers,
Ben