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UK IT staff say 'show me the money'
Forget work-life balance, it's all about hard cash says survey…

By Andy McCue

Published: Tuesday 06 July 2004

Money, not work-life balance, still matters the most for UK IT staff when it comes to new jobs, according to a worldwide recruitment survey.

But the UK and Singapore are alone on this with workers in other countries opting for training and work-life balance as priorities.

The poll by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters surveyed 8,000 people globally across IT and non-IT fields. The overall results showed 34 per cent found ongoing training and personal development were most important and 32 per cent said work-life balance. Money came top for 26 per cent while just eight per cent were more bothered about the benefits package.

Only the UK and Singapore had basic salary scoring higher than the other factors.

Steve Garner, manager of IT commerce at Robert Walters, said that while money is important for the UK's IT staff, the gap is closing when it comes to personal development and work-life balance.

"Why do people want to move jobs? Money talks, particularly in a buoyant market," he said. "But as the market increases I would expect those two to increase further."

Garner said the UK IT staffing market is more buoyant than at any point since the dot-com crash, with opportunities for people with the right skills.

"There is no shortage of offers. We've shifted massively in the last six months," he said. "The old favourites like Unix and Oracle are still there but wireless and mobile technology skills are going through the roof."