Tech Workers’ Top Career Priorities in 2022: What Employers Need to Know

The battle for digital talent has become more challenging than ever. And the global tech shortage gives tech workers the upper hand in the hiring process. Employers need to understand what digital workers are looking for to attract the best talent. Here’s what you need to know about how tech people’s career priorities have changed in 2022. 

According to Channel News Asia, Singapore needs 1.2 million more tech workers by 2025 to maintain its status as a global commercial hub. Digital workers know very well that they’re in top demand, which means they can move to greener pastures any time. 

According to Decoding the Digital Talent Challenge, 73% of digital workers plan to switch jobs in two to three years. Moreover, 40% of them are already looking for their next job. The survey, conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with Jobstreet, studied 9,900 digital workers. Amid this competitive climate, familiarising themselves with what tech employees want can help employers attract and retain the best team. 

A survey by the Straits Times reveals that 28% of Singaporeans believe life will never go back to the way it was before the pandemic. With the events of the past two years—such as the #MeToo movement and wildfires brought about by climate change—digital workers have been re-evaluating what is most important to them. 

Gone are the days when work was simply about getting a paycheque, with no politics involved. Tech people care about social issues, and their convictions factor into their choice of workplace. The Decoding the Digital Talent Challenge report states that tech talent may leave if they find that the company’s values do not align with their principles. As many as 24% of digital workers cite this as their reason for wanting to find a new job. 

Work-life balance remains at the top of digital workers’ list of priorities. However, beyond that, the pandemic has significantly impacted how they rank the most important elements of their jobs. 

Case in point: tech workers have been accustomed to remote work long before COVID-19. However, circuit breaker measures have highlighted the need for human connection. Survey respondents now value good relationships with colleagues and superiors more than learning, training, and career development opportunities. 

Good Relationships and Financial Stability Take Precedence Among Career Priorities

Ranked based on the importance of each job element to respondents

Source: 2021 BCG Decoding the Digital Talent Challenge Report

This is in stark contrast to the BCG survey results in 2018. At the time, “learning and skills training” and “career development possibilities” ranked 2nd and 3rd out of the 10 most important job elements for tech talent. Today, those factors have dropped to 7th and 9th place respectively. Meanwhile, “relationships with colleagues” is in 2nd place and “relationship with superior” is in 4th place.

This is not to say that employers no longer need to provide digital workers with resources to enhance their skills and advance their careers. Rather, supervisors should take care to acknowledge tech workers’ contributions and foster good rapport within their teams. 

The economic impact of COVID-19 has made itself felt among tech workers as well. Digital workers now place more value on their employers’ financial stability than they did in 2018. Likewise, the importance they place on financial compensation has increased—from 5th place to 3rd place in the latest survey.  

According to Decoding the Digital Talent Challenge, 61% of tech workers say that diversity and inclusion matter more to them now than before the pandemic. Half of digital workers would avoid working for companies that don’t share their convictions regarding this issue.

Singaporean employers can certainly attract more digital talent by making sure their workplaces are free from discrimination based on age, nationality, race, and gender. And when it comes to gender diversity, the tech world has a long way to go. Case in point: Across Southeast Asia, the percentage of women in tech is lower than in other sectors.

Singapore is a step ahead in this respect, with women making up 41% of the tech workforce. However, the number of women in tech drops significantly once they reach senior management and CEO or board levels. This is according to Boosting Women in Technology in Southeast Asia, a study conducted by the BCG together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority and SG Women in Technology. 

Companies have good reason to attract and foster female digital workers. It isn’t just that a diverse workforce is more innovative and creative. Women in tech are more likely to remain loyal to companies they work for—a trait that is becoming increasingly rare among tech people. 

The women surveyed in the BCG study said they would be more inclined to stay at companies that offered good “compensation, attractive career opportunities, [and] reasonable work-life balance.”

There are several ways to become a more inclusive employer. The aforementioned study revealed that one of the most effective ways is for the CEO to make a public commitment to gender diversity. The organisation should make its diversity goals public as well, for the sake of transparency. 

Female tech workers also favour companies that have diverse executive teams and take part in external events related to diversity. Other highly effective measures include nursing rooms and health care coverage that targets womens’ concerns. 

The BCG also encourages conducting regular employee surveys. This is because employers’ perception of their company’s inclusivity and diversity can be different from the situation on the ground. Getting feedback from your employees will allow you to gauge whether your efforts are creating a more inclusive working environment.

Over the past few years, climate change has made itself felt through super-typhoons, along with the rising temperatures in Singapore. Sixty-one per cent of digital workers say that environmental issues “have become more important to them over the past year.” And 48% of technical workers would refuse job offers from companies that don’t share their views on the importance of responding to climate change.

As part of Singapore Green Plan 2030, the government has provided all kinds of resources for local companies who want to become more environmentally friendly. For example, Enterprise Singapore has partnered with PwC Singapore, Global Compact Network Singapore, and Singapore Environment Council to provide sustainability courses for businesses. 

These courses aim to equip companies with the knowledge and tools they need to properly assess their business processes and create an effective sustainability framework. You can obtain a 70% fee subsidy from Enterprise Singapore for up to 3 participants from your organisation. Once you’ve developed your sustainability framework, you can apply for an Enterprise Development Grant to fund your projects as well. Aside from this, several banks such as OCBC offer green loans. 

While your efforts to make your business more sustainable are underway, you can also support the environment in simpler, quicker ways. One is to spread awareness within the organisation and promote environment-friendly habits at the office. For instance, encourage your employees to follow the three Rs: Reduce, Reduce, and Recycle. Remind them to use energy efficiently and conserve water as well. You can also invite them to join CSR initiatives such as tree planting.

By being attuned to the changes in tech workers’ career priorities, you can attract the digital talent your company needs to succeed. Learn more about getting the best tech talent by downloading the Decoding the Digital Talent Challenge report. Learn more about career opportunities and advice with the JobStreet mobile app on Google Play and the App Store.