Nearly two-thirds of IT employees plan to change jobs in 2016

A third of those who want to switch jobs say it's because of pay, even though IT pros received some of the biggest pay increases in 2015

Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of IT employees plan to change jobs in 2016, with almost a third (31 per cent) of those employees stating that they're looking elsewhere because of pay, a report by recruitment firm Hays UK has found.

In its Salary & Recruiting Trends 2016 report, Hays UK found that IT salaries increased by 2.8 per cent in 2015 - with IT professionals receiving some of the biggest pay increases of all sectors in 2015. A third of employers awarded their staff with pay rises of over 2.5 per cent of annual salaries - the largest proportion of employers to do so of any sector. But despite these increases, a huge number of employees want to jump ship to another employer in 2016.

Pay was just one of the factors for IT employees wanting to move on to pastures new - with 30 per cent of those who want to move blaming it on their current organisation having a lack of career opportunities.

Seventy-two per cent of employers believe that business activity will increase next year, and three-quarters are planning to hire new IT staff to meet that demand. But while many companies (76 per cent) may be increasing their headcount, there are fewer employers who are looking to increase salaries in 2016 (66 per cent) compared to this year (71 per cent), and so many firms will be hoping that their roles and organisations appeal to IT professionals as much as the salaries they're offering.

"IT companies face an alarming number of staff departures next year as employees move on in search of even better salaries and career progression, promoting an escalation in the war for talent which is already raging in the IT sector," said James Milligan, director of Hays Information Technology.

"Firms that cannot offer substantial salaries will find it difficult to attract and retain the most skilled employees and many organisations will be working hard to ensure their appeal goes beyond pay alone," he added.