An IT skills drain will enter full flow if business leaders pull the plug on tech investments, particularly around emerging technologies like AI, according to a survey commissioned by Auxilion which also indicates a potential spike in demand for outsourced IT services as a result of IT bosses jumping ship.
The study of 100 IT decision makers in UK enterprises with 250-plus employees (conducted by Censuswide) found that nearly two in five UK IT leaders plan to leave their role in the next one to two years if their organisation fails to invest.
Jumping ship is already a solid trend with more than one in four respondents (28%) having changed their job in 2023 and 35% have been interviewed for another job in the past six months.
“The movement of senior decision makers, especially in business critical roles like IT, creates huge demand and pressure on organisations," said Niamh Cray, Chief People Officer, Auxilion.
"Such gaps also have a wider impact in terms of their ability to maintain operations, complete projects and deliver services.
“When it comes to talent and recruitment, we believe businesses should adopt a hybrid approach where they incorporate contractors and resourcing partners.
"A more flexible model like this means organisations can move swiftly to plug any skills gaps that arise and minimise disruption.”