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94% of employees would stay longer with a company if it helped them to train. These are the findings of the LinkedIn Workforce Learning study.
This data underscores just how much investing in skills has become a key factor in retaining employees in competitive environments.
Recruitment is a strategic issue for IT services companies, as human capital is the company’s main strength.
In an industry where expertise is central to value creation, building qualified teams is directly tied to the success of projects.
However, according to an HEC study, employee turnover in the sector is 20 percent, which is enormous.
This figure reveals significant instability that is affecting the performance of these organizations and the continuity of client projects.
Furthermore, there is a real “war for talent” in the sector, as skilled workers are in short supply relative to demand. Therefore, to attract and retain digital talent, digital services companies must implement a genuine strategy to win over candidates.
IT services companies’recruitment: the talent shortage
The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted hiring in the digital sector. According to the results of Numeum’s “Grand angle ESN & ICT” survey:
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Small businesses have been hit the hardest, with a 62.5% decline in hiring among microbusinesses. Large companies have also been affected, with a 21.2% decline in hiring plans; the figure is 34.7% for mid-sized companies and 32.7% for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One of the reasons for this shortage is that the number of talents available on the market is insufficient to meet IT services companies’demand. This tension is also exacerbated by the globalization of the labor market, which drives certain professionals to seek opportunities abroad or at more attractive international companies. |
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The talent shortage is exacerbated by the rapid pace of technological change, which renders certain skills obsolete within a few years. Digital services firms must therefore continually adapt their consultant recruitment strategies to remain competitive.
Furthermore, needs are constantly changing, with the emergence of new professions and areas of expertise making it difficult to anticipate skills mapping.
The most sought-after digital skills include :
- Systems engineering, integration and deployment ;
- Information systems, software engineering, system architecture, data science ;
- Security, artificial intelligence, web technology.
(According to the 2021 Digital Careers Barometer – IMT)
These fields require a high level of specialization, which further limits the number of candidates with practical experience available on the job market.
This situation has led to the famous “war for talent” between IT services companies to attract and retain digital talent.
This situation has led to the so-called “war for talent” among digital services companies as they compete to attract and retain digital talent.
This competition is characterized by a race to outdo one another in terms of salaries and benefits, as well as work flexibility, which has become a key factor for many job candidates.
In light of this shortage, digital services companies must strengthen their employer brand to stand out and attract the best IT talent. This requires transparent communication about the company’s values, career opportunities, and working conditions.
An active presence on professional networks, the organization of tech events, and employee testimonials also play a key role in this initiative.
The particularities of IT services companie’s recruitment: hiring based on profile or assignment
In addition to the shortage of talent in the digital sector, there are the peculiarities of IT services companies’hiring. There are two types of recruitment in the sector. This is known as “profile hiring” or “mission hiring”.
Profile hiring in IT services companies
Hiring on profile by an IT services company means that the company relies on the experience and qualities of the future consultant to build up a pool of skills to sell to its customers.
From the candidate’s point of view, this means he’s not sure he’ll get an assignment right away, or even sure he’ll enjoy the future assignment. He must therefore trust the IT services company, and in particular the sales representative responsible for finding him an assignment.
As a result, the consultant may find himself in an inter-contract situation as soon as he is hired, or on an assignment that does not correspond to his professional aspirations.
To minimize these risks, digital services companies can implement candidate screening processes—including in-depth interviews and technical assessments—to better align consultants’ skills with clients’ needs.
Hiring on assignment in IT services companies
Hiring on assignment by an IT services company is more concrete for the candidate. He knows which project will benefit from his technical skills, and is therefore free to accept or refuse.
The problems he may encounter are more downstream from the project. Will the IT services company have other assignments to offer that “fit” with the consultant’s skills?
At the end of their assignment, consultants may also find themselves on an inter-contractual basis, if the IT services company is unable to sell their skills to its customers.
On the company’s side, it’s often only after the customer has agreed to the proposed profile that the company decides whether or not to hire the talent.
This approach requires proactive management of candidate sourcing to anticipate client needs and avoid prolonged periods between contracts.
Is digitalization a solution to recruitment challenges of IT services companies?
For 81% of companies, digitalization is an advantage when recruiting digital talent, for a number of reasons.
On the one hand, this makes it possible to expand the geographic scope of the search; on the other hand, it allows for the recruitment of candidates with a broader range of skills that are better aligned with the needs of the digital services company’s clients. This is what the “Grand angle ESN & ICT” study revealed .
In addition, to attract and retain talent, IT services companies have implemented several initiatives:
- Employee training;
- A company agreement that sets employees apart ;
- Mobility plans ;
- Other actions such as CSR, sponsorship, coaching, etc.
In other words, Digital Services Companies are focusing on quality of life at work.
Then there’s the employer brand, which helps offset the image deficit suffered by IT services companies.
Companies are encouraging their employees to become ambassadors for the company on social networks, in order to strengthen their HR communications.
In addition, using a specialized recruitment platform makes it possible to automate certain tasks, improve the candidate experience, and reduce hiring times.
Why is it difficult to recruit in the IT services sector? It is essential to understand that increased competition, high candidate expectations, and the need for effective human resources management in the IT services sector are all factors that complicate the recruitment process.
Boost Your Recruitment with VSActivity
Recruiting in digital services firms is a strategic challenge: with a shortage of skilled talent, tight deadlines, and demanding clients, every step counts. To address these challenges, VSActivity, our industry-specific ERP, supports you with features designed to optimize consultant recruitment.
Automate and streamline your recruitment process
With VSActivity, you can:
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Post your job openings on multiple job boards simultaneously throughintegration with Talentplug;
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Access an expanded candidate database linked to LinkedIn for more effective sourcing;
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Conduct faster candidate screening using semantic analysis of resumes;
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Centralize and track all stages of the hiring process with a customizable HR workflow;
- Promote your employer brand to job candidates.
A solution designed for digital services companies
Specially designed for service companies, VSActivity helps you:
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Shorten your hiring timelines, particularly for project-based or profile-specific hires;
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Provide a seamless, professional, and engaging candidate experience;
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Save time on administrative tasks such as DPAE filings or assignment contracts.
Request your free demo today and discover how VSActivity can transform your recruitment strategy into a driver of sustainable performance.
