A number of the metrics that serve as common indicators of economic well-being in the U.S. are currently uneven, to say the least, due to the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown a continued drop in the unemployment rate (up to and including September 2020) for five months, the number of long-term unemployed persons has steadily risen, and at least 800,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits in each of the last two weeks.
With all of that being said, certain industries that were not showing growth through much of the pandemic period have begun to surge in the last couple of months — with the field of IT and engineering standing out as one of the most notable examples. Company leaders who have been concerned with finding the right people for critical tech positions should be pleased with this development, while also taking the time to examine their hiring processes to see what might be in need of improvement.
Long-awaited reversal of decline in tech
The drop in tech employment that showed signs of reversal in the past months, starting with August, began well before the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus (and its associated disease, COVID-19) that was declared by the World Health Organization in March: According to TechServe Alliance, a nationwide trade association for professionals in the IT and engineering sectors, the growth that IT experienced during August represented the first such increase seen in 10 months — placing the start of the IT decline in November 2019, when the overall economy remained quite robust. Nevertheless, the organization stated that IT expanded by 0.40% in August from the prior month, while engineering grew by 0.56%.
The latest data
September's numbers showed a continued increase for both industries, though engineering's growth for the month occurred at a lower percentage from August: IT reached a total of about 5.16 million jobs during September, which constituted a 0.47% increase, whereas engineering's total rose to 2.58 million employees for an uptick of 0.49%. In terms of specific lines of work within these larger sectors, IT had its biggest gains in the area of computer systems and design services, and engineering saw the most growth within the public sector — federal, state and local government jobs outside of schools and hospitals.
Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance, struck a tone of optimism in remarks that accompanied the association's latest release of job data on Oct. 7:
"After steep declines in the spring, IT employment posted strong growth for the second [straight] month, rising 0.47%," Roberts said in the statement. "With the explosion of [working] from home and the strength of these sectors leveraging digital transformation, businesses have clearly seen that investment in IT is an imperative."
Following the best tech hiring practices
While it must be said that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis limits what can be predicted for tech even in the short term, it's clear that businesses are once again adding tech talent to their ranks. Company leaders who have active personnel needs for key IT or engineering roles must ensure that they are doing their best to find and attract the most skilled individuals out there.
According to G2, the best way to start is by looking for candidates on job boards or other websites that directly focus on developers or other IT experts, such as Stack Overflow. These outlets allow recruiters to look at candidates' skill sets and pedigree in detail. Additionally, doing so will better prepare HR to reach out to prospective tech hires in as personalized a manner as possible.
Specificity — regarding exactly what an open position will entail and the skills it requires — is also extremely important in tech hiring, according to Harver. For example, software and web developers will want to know what is included in the tech stack of an organization that's trying to hire them: codes like Java or Python and the many programs based on them, as well as web tools including Django and Grunt. Along similar lines, if developers are asked overly broad questions, or queries that suggest the recruiter doesn't really know that they're talking about, it can be a deal-breaker. The gap of understanding between recruiters and tech candidates is not as broad as it often was earlier in the decade, but it can still be a problem. For this reason, it may be best for HR leaders who aren't as knowledgeable regarding IT as they'd like to seek the assistance of a staffing firm that specializes in bringing in high-level tech talent.