The past couple of years have shown us all how much we depend on technology day in and day out. Our laptop computers allowed us to move out of the office and into work-from-home settings with very little notice. Schools held virtual classes and e-commerce exploded as people searched for contactless ways to purchase what they needed. Technology workers were and are essential workers.

In 2022, the ghost of pandemic past is still haunting the companies who plan to hire tech professionals. People with tech skills are in demand and the supply is limited. The latest JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary) report shows that the Great Resignation is alive and well with the highest number of employees voluntarily leaving paid positions since that record-keeping started.

Salaries for tech have shown significant increases since before the beginning of the pandemic. Job postings are up and tech unemployment is a low 2.6%. Fortune states that the removal of location-based pay scales for developers will be coming in 2022 as the tech talent shortage drives remote hiring.

Remote work is a popular perk with most IT professionals preferring a hybrid arrangement with flexibility for when and how to work.

Companies that want to hire tech talent are rethinking their hiring processes. They recognize the need to put their marketing skills to work in the talent attraction function. Candidate experience is a key element in attracting the right talent.

Developers want the interview process to change. Technical interviews will fall by the wayside as interviewers choose to explore real-world tech issues with candidates. Transparency during the interview process, a bane of candidates since before the pandemic, is an important area for companies to restructure.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are on the radar for tech candidates as well as candidates for all other types of positions. Job seekers are on the lookout for companies that follow through on their pledges for diversity and who strive to make sure the work environment is inclusive for everyone. Diverse teams are more creative and productive as well as more attractive to top talent across the board. Companies that embrace that and put metrics in place to monitor results will fare better in their talent strategy.

Perhaps most importantly, a Pew Research study found that fewer Americans are finding meaning and purpose in their jobs. Of course, the pandemic turned the world on its head and people were bound to spend some time thinking about their life choices.  But this decline in the value placed on jobs and careers may be fueling the Great Resignation and the unwillingness of so many to re-enter the workforce. Successful companies will find a way to entice the right talent to work with them by listening to what job seekers truly want and need and finding the way to provide it.