All-round Country Edition

FEATURES; Pg. 29

Jennifer Foreshew, Professions

INCREASED incentives are being offered to technology professionals, and bonuses will rise by as much as 20 per cent as employers try to retain key staff, a survey finds.

More than 40 per cent of employers experienced difficulty keeping staff over the past year, according to the Michael Page Technology Salary Survey for 2007-08.

The report, based on a survey of 3300 employers and 2100 employees from a range of industry sectors, says salaries will rise 5 to 7 per cent across the board in the year ahead.

It predicts the boom in technology recruitment will continue for at least 12 to 18 months.

Michael Page technology national director Simon Lynch said efforts to retain staff needed to shift from financial incentives towards career opportunities.

''The research we have done indicates that money is not the primary motivator for people in making a move,'' Mr Lynch said. ''Twenty nine per cent said career advancement was the main reason why they were looking for a new job, whereas more money was only cited by 9 per cent of respondents.''

The survey says recognising talent, investing in professional training programs and demonstrating career development opportunities are powerful business strategies in a tight labour market.

''Putting your top performers into talent management programs so they know they are on the high-performing charts in the organisation gives them less reason to go and look around,'' Mr Lynch said.

''It is only when these things are not offered that people start looking around, and then it becomes a money issue.''
Almost 90 per cent of employers surveyed saw staff retention as an important focus in the year ahead.

Of the retention strategies adopted by employers, the top three are training and development, bonus schemes and flexible working arrangements.

Mr Lynch said flexible working arrangement enabled employers to target new talent pools, such as mature workers approaching retirement, and parents at home.

The survey also shows that about a third of employees expect their next salary increase to be between 6 and 10 per cent.

Flexible working hours is the favoured incentive among 29 per cent of employees surveyed, followed by bonuses at 25percent.