Oct 4, 2011

Tech talent hard to come by for start-ups

While the tech sector in the United Kingdom is thankfully staying robust, not experiencing the unemployment gloom of other sectors, it has been reported that companies are struggling to find skilled professionals.

This is especially true for tech start-ups, which are mushrooming at a fast pace but often coming up blank when looking to hire IT experts and software professionals.

The reason upcoming software companies are finding it difficult to fill in vacant positions seems to be that skilled graduates are tending not to consider job opportunities with new businesses and start-ups. One out of ten graduates in the UK wants to work in London, while only about three per cent are even looking for a core technology-based career.

Silicon Roundabout, a jobs fair organised by Songkick, a start-up based out of London, is hoping to address this issue on October 30. It is expected to attract more than 100 start-up businesses from across the country and have more than 500 jobs on offer to attendees.

Songkick CEO Ian Hogarth said that a majority of potential tech graduates are not even aware of the employment opportunities that await them in start-up firms. They should recognise that there are jobs beyond the more traditional institutions such as banks, consultancies and big corporate players such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook.

Guitarguitar.co.uk’s technical director Mark McKenzie said it is not enough just to offer a lucrative pay package to attract talent; quality and challenging work that allows candidates to prove their potential is also a necessity. He added that it was important to target the right specialisation area, besides making the job offers more competitive for candidates.

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