Dive Brief:
- Limited career progression and a lack of learning opportunities are among the top reasons why 72% of tech employees say they're thinking of quitting their jobs in the next 12 months, according to an Oct. 19 report by TalentLMS.
- Additionally, 91% of tech employees overall said they want more training opportunities from their employers. The survey included responses from 1,200 employees in the U.S. who work in tech, IT and software departments or roles.
- Three-quarters of employees surveyed said they feel their employers focus more on attracting new talent over investing in current talent, TalentLMS said.
Dive Insight:
Back in 2019, a Robert Half survey noted the retention power of employee development — something the pandemic has only emphasized.
In another industry similarly strapped for talent, learning and development programming as well as ample career opportunity emerged as key reasons young workers stuck with manufacturing employers, according to a July study from the Manufacturing Institute's Center for Manufacturing Research.
Solid tech training programs can also boost diversity efforts on top of retention, one expert previously told HR Dive. This goal may be especially important for tech industry leaders; half of young tech workers surveyed by WILEY for a report released in September said they left or felt uncomfortable at a tech job because the company culture made them feel unwelcome. Young women of color were even more likely to report such an experience.
February survey results from Engagedly revealed that employees used learning programs more frequently during the pandemic, particularly live online training. Employers in the tech industry may have the opportunity, then, to capitalize on the accelerated growth of L&D programming to keep employees on board.
