Skills shortage expected to hit tech operations
Almost all employers in the New Zealand tech sector (96%) expect the technology skills shortage to impact their operations in 2023, according to the Hays 2022/23 Salary Guide, which spoke to around 2,500 New Zealand employers and employees.
Nevertheless, 61% of tech employers said they would increase headcount in 2022.
Doing so will come at a higher cost however, with 88% of organisations surveyed saying they have had to offer a higher salary than they had planned to find the right employees, while 66% of employees said they benefitted financially from changing jobs in the past year.
The guide also revealed a disconnect between the pay rise employers are willing to give and what increase employees believe would reflect their performance: 35% of employers said they planned to give increases of 3% to 6%, while 34% would only offer up to 3%. However, 58% of employees said they expected raises of over 6%, with just 31% aiming for 3% to 6%.
Uncompetitive salary was also listed by employees as one of the top drivers of turnover, alongside the lack of new challenges and opportunities for promotion, and poor management style and workplace culture.
Hays said the current skills shortage in New Zealand is unmatched in its 46 years in operation. It said that offering a competitive salary is just one part of the equation for organisations to attract talent. Flexible work environments, opportunities to learn, alignment between personal and professional purpose, and strong relationships between managers and team members should also be factored into hiring strategies.
Most in-demand tech roles revealed
The Hays Salary Guide also revealed the top five most in demand tech roles in New Zealand, along with their salary ranges.
These are:
- Project and programme managers.
- Business analyst.
- Senior software engineers.
- Automation and quality assurance engineers.
- Devops and cloud specialists.
According to the guide, project managers were earning between $110,000 and $145,000 a year on average in the last financial year, while the salary for programme managers was between $190,000 and $200,000.
On average, business analysts were earning between $100,000 and $125,000 with some senior business analysts commanding up to $140,000.
Senior software developers were making between $110,000 and $150,000 with salaries for some senior front-end developers reaching up to $165,000.
The range for automation engineers was between $120,000 and $140,000, and for devops engineers between $100,000 and $160,000 but averaging between $110,000 and $135,000.
Cloud architects meanwhile can earn up to $200,000, while the average salary was between $110,000 and $140,000.
Qual IT snapped up by Planit
New Zealand IT quality assurance company, Qual IT, has been acquired by Planit, an Australian-based global provider of quality engineering and application testing services.
The new combined entity will be the largest independent IT testing company in New Zealand and Australia, and the third largest globally, according to Qual IT.
Qual IT was founded 20 years ago in Wellington by Shane Hewson and Jon McPhee and has grown to over 250 employees across Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
The acquisition also includes Qual IT's cybersecurity arm SEQA.
Senior management at both Qual IT and SEQA will continue to lead the businesses and both companies will initially retain their brands.
Planit was acquired in May 2021 by Nomura Research Institute (NRI) Australia, part of Tokyo-based NRI Global, a member of the Nomura Group.