IT workers fluctuate a lot in Serbia

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent slowdown in the industry make IT professionals in Serbia typically stay with a company for a few years on average. In spite of hope for market stabilization, experts in the sector are not optimistic about the future because of workforce turnover.
The recruitment agency BPS Tech reports that certain job profiles, employees and companies follow different tendencies: some of them focuse on outsourcing and others develop their own products.
According to the first ones, one reason for this situation is the predominant orientation of the market itself towards outsourcing (estimated at around 80%). Another reason is the importance for candidates of leaving their personal mark on the company by working on products. This makes the average retention in product companies higher. Candidates working for outsourcing companies often lack a sense of belonging and purpose, as they predominantly work on existing solutions that aren’t as interesting. Challenging projects, opportunities for advancement, variety of work/projects, work environment, salary and benefits are the most important factors influencing employee retention in a company.
Joberty, a platform connecting employers and candidates in the IT sector, reports that the average tenure of IT professionals in companies remains between two and four years. Nevertheless, the situation in the IT sector has changed significantly.
The demand for IT professionals increased during the COVID-19 period due to an expansion of IT projects and digitalization.
According to Milan Šolaja, Executive Director of the Vojvodina ICT Cluster, now employees value stability and job security more than in the pre-COVID period of somewhat reduced growth when workforce turnover was stronger.
As Miloš Turinski, PR Manager of the employment and career development center Infostud, says, a general tendency for the average time IT workers in Serbia work in one company has decreased.
He assesses that employee retention is longer in larger companies or well-known brands that often offer more stable jobs, better benefits and opportunities for professional development than in smaller companies and lesser-known brands.
The duration of tenure is primarily influenced by the seniority of an employee, as junior workers change jobs more quickly as they are still in the phase of discovering their interests and possibilities in the industry. Conrtavertly, seniors usually stay longer, especially if they are satisfied with their role and involved in the development of the team and company, but they too may be inclined to change if they encounter better opportunities or challenges.
Corporate culture is extremely important for more experienced candidates, which makes them stay in companies for an average of five to seven years, sometimes even longer.

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