IT bigwigs ready to jump ship

A survey by Irish outfit Auxilion has revealed that more than 39 per cent of Britain’s IT honchos are plotting to leave their current jobs within the next two years.

The lowdown, dished out by Censuswide, is based on a sample of 100 IT decision-makers from UK firms with a hefty 250+ employees. In 2023 alone, a cheeky 28 per cent of these tech titans swapped their thrones, and 35 per cent have been caught flirting with new opportunities in the past six months.

More than 51 per cent of these bosses would leave their jobs if their firms didn’t spend money on flashy tech like AI.

Auxilion analyst Niamh Cray said: “The movement of senior decision-makers, especially in business-critical roles like IT, creates huge demand and pressure on organisations. Such gaps also have a wider impact in terms of their ability to maintain operations, complete projects and deliver services”

Cray advocates a “hybrid approach” to hiring involving corporate contractors and resourcing partners. This approach consists of replacing top managers to keep the ship steady.

“A more flexible model like this means organisations can swiftly plug any skills gaps that arise and minimise disruption. This data also sends a clear message to business leaders that a lack of investment in emerging technologies could cause you to lose talent across the organisation, which can be very disruptive and damaging, she said.

“Businesses need to embrace technology and use its capabilities to stimulate growth,” Cray said.