Luring IT Pros to Switch Jobs

Employers are looking beyond traditional venues such as job announcements and career fairs to find fresh technology talent; they're also approaching employed technology professionals, a new survey finds.

According to Dice.com's Retention Survey, 68 percent of employed technology professionals have been approached at least once by headhunters since the beginning of the year. And many of those professionals are looking to jump ship, citing the search for better career opportunities and increased compensation as the key influencers on their desire to leave. For example, 53 percent of frustrated technology professionals said they are not vocalizing their career issues with their current boss, and 93 percent of those employees say at least a five percent boost in pay would incentivize them to stay in their current jobs.

Increased salary, as well as better career opportunities and work on new or emerging technologies are the top incentives used by headhunters in luring technology pros to switch jobs, the survey found. And green technologies and mobile applications are the fields capturing the strongest interest from technology talent.

While the survey focused exclusively on private sector technology professionals, I'm curious to know whether federal technology professionals have received similar calls from headhunters since the start of the year, and whether those responsible for hiring IT professionals at federal agencies have reached out to the private sector as well as other agencies to lure them. For IT professionals, what would be the top factors influencing your decision to stay or leave?