IT workers always on the prowl

UK IT workers are a fickle lot who are often on the lookout for a better job.

Although 68 per cent of IT employees expect to be in the same job in 12 months' time, 48 per cent have applied for other jobs or registered with recruitment websites during the last year, new research reveals.

Steven Kirkpatrick, managing director of Adecco, which commissioned the research, said even if people feel content in their job, they think it's important to keep "new opportunities on the radar".

Money is not what drives IT workers to seek out new jobs, though. The most popular reasons were the possibility for more interesting or challenging work (89 per cent) or an improved work environment (84 per cent), the survey showed.

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Companies can make workers more loyal by honouring commitments made when they were first hired such as maintaining the nature of the job, providing a pleasant working environment and guaranteeing job stability, the research revealed.

Kirkpatrick added that if companies fail to meet commitments to workers and ignore IT workers' fickle nature this 'job flirting' trend could lead to a "serious talent loss, high staff attrition and loss of ground in the ever increasing battle to attract the best new recruits".