An extensive new study into the EMEA region’s tech and IT talent market from Hays, the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, has discovered a potential impending mass exodus of tech talent from Europe.
Europe has become a key source of IT talent for companies with presence in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, particularly data, infrastructure, and cybersecurity specialists from Eastern and Southern Europe. Hays new study and report The Tech Talent Explorer, the result of surveying 5000+ IT specialists across 20 EMEA countries, shows that a huge number of European IT specialists are looking to leave their current jobs before the end of the year. The report also details the reasons why they are looking to leave, and ways in which Middle Eastern companies can attract these professionals to make the move to the Middle East.
Key findings from the report:
- 34% of all European tech professionals to leave their jobs this year, the five main reasons being ‘Salary too low’, ‘Lack of development opportunities’, ‘Lack of career progression to date’, ‘Lack of long-term opportunities’, and ‘Role is not challenging enough’.
- Data & Analytics professionals the most likely to leave their jobs this year (36%), followed by Software Development professionals (34%). The least likely group is Cloud Computing specialists (28%).
- 22% of tech specialists in the Middle East are expecting a salary increase of 20% or more this year. Less than 10% of tech specialists in Europe are expecting such an increase.
- For a Network Engineer, the average salary across the Middle East is 74,900EU. In Czechia this is just 31,000EU and in Spain this is just 33,000EU.
- For a Data Engineer, the average salary across the Middle East is 90,000EU. In Italy this is just 45,750EU and in Portugal just 48,000EU.
- For a Security Engineer, the average salary in the GCC (exc. KSA) is 105,000EU and in the KSA it is 90,000EU. In Hungary this is just 39,000EU and in Spain 44,200EU.
- For a DevOps Engineer (Cloud Infrastructure), the average salary is 90,000EU in the KSA itself and 100,500EU in the GCC excluding KSA. In Hungary the average salary is just 45,000EU, and in Italy 47,000EU.
- For a Software Architect, the average salary in the KSA itself is 105,000EU and in the GCC (exc. KSA) its 120,000EU. In Czech this is just 62,500EU, and in Italy and France it is just 64,000EU.
- Across the whole of EMEA, the top company attraction factors for tech professionals are ‘Good work atmosphere’, ‘Remote work’, and ‘Challenging roles or projects.’
- 56% of Tech Professionals in the Middle East are using AI, more than in any European country. AI is a key area that tech specialists want to develop – 82% of all EMEA tech professionals desire AI training.
Commenting on the data, Eamonn Hart, Senior Manager – Technology at Hays Middle East, said:
“This new data offers lots of encouragement for companies in the Middle East looking for tech talent and shows that the second half of 2024 will be a key time for hiring from Europe as so many professionals will be open to new opportunities. It is well known that salaries tend to be higher in the UAE and KSA, which is obviously an attraction for tech specialists in lower-paying European countries, but this report offers new insights as to other ways that Middle Eastern companies can attract this talent, for example by highlighting AI initiatives and progression plans.”
