For the
CA-ICT foundation, we have developed a monitor to assess the sustainable employability of ICT professionals. In the
final report, we provide insights into remarkable findings, trends, and developments.
When we look at the various dimensions of sustainable employability (namely personal, contextual, and outcome factors) among ICT professionals, there is no cause for concern.
- Regarding personal factors, the overall health of ICT professionals, their ability to adapt, level of self-regulation, and motivation show a positive picture. In terms of technical and social knowledge and skills of ICT professionals, there are some areas where they experience shortages to perform their work. Particularly in the field of technical knowledge and skills, this is not surprising given the rapid developments in the ICT sector.
- Similarly, contextual factors paint a positive picture. ICT professionals can easily meet the psychological and mental demands of their work. Moreover, companies offer various opportunities for ICT professionals to further develop themselves and continue working for longer periods.
- Regarding outcome factors, we see that ICT professionals are generally capable of performing their work and rate their job performance highly. ICT professionals are less affected by occupational diseases, have sufficient opportunities in the internal and external job market, and, overall, are satisfied with their work.
The adverse effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic on sustainable employability appear to be limited. Despite the pandemic, ICT professionals still feel motivated, most of them manage to set up a suitable home workspace and organize their day efficiently. However, ICT professionals seem to struggle with changes in the social work environment, particularly with communication through other channels and the lack of personal interaction. This leads to reduced job satisfaction for some ICT professionals. A potential positive effect of the pandemic is increased motivation due to the heightened importance of the work of ICT professionals resulting from the increased reliance on digital systems.
Employers or HR managers play a significant role in the work context of ICT professionals (e.g. shaping company policies related to learning and development). We observe disparities in perceptions between ICT professionals and their HR managers. The risk here is that HR managers may base measures and provisions in their organization on their own perceptions, potentially leading to a mismatch between the personal factors of ICT professionals and the context in which they work. This is evident in areas such as the required knowledge and skills for the work of ICT professionals, as well as in how ICT professionals derive meaning from their work. While ICT professionals consider it crucial to contribute to something valuable in their work, this aspect does not seem to feature prominently in the sustainable employability policies of HR managers.
Various developments are apparent concerning the demand for skills in ICT roles. On one hand, there is significant dynamism with emerging skills related to developing data applications (Kafka, PowerBi), creating scalable services (Kubernetes, GitLab, Azure Devops, microservices), and developing applications for end-users (Vue.js, Typescript, Spring Boot, .NET Core). On the other hand, there is stability, as a fairly consistent set of skills has maintained a large and stable position over the years. This includes certifications (CCNA, ITIL, and ISTQB), networking skills (CCNA, DNS, VPN), software development skills (Java, Apache Maven, BASIC, Ruby, shell), the use of business software such as SAP, database management (SQL), and testing (test-driven development, ISTQB).
As part of this project, we have released the following reports:
- the research approach
- the baseline measurement
- quarterly reports 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
- the final report
