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What do employers really want in an employee: experience or a degree?

The report, which surveys over 400 tech employers, found that tech employers view staff retention and attraction as their number one business challenge for the year ahead, thanks to almost a decade of rapid growth in the New Zealand ICT sector (9% per annum since 2008).

“What is surprising is that tech employers in New Zealand rate hands-on experience as the most valuable skill to consider when hiring and that a university degree is rated as far less valuable,” says Grant Burley, director, Absolute IT.

Private sector tech employers rate hands-on experience highest (49%) followed by a university degree (19%) and industry specific training coming in third (19%). In the public sector a university degree comes in last (19%) with hands-on experience (42%) and industry specific training (27%) the two highest rated skills.

“But that doesn’t mean that a degree is not worth the effort as our previous research has shown that IT professionals with ten years’ experience and a degree can earn upwards of 12% more than those without a degree, and this gap increases as their careers progress,” says Burley.

The report also found a perceived shortage of women in the IT sector, with 26% of tech employers saying that the gender gap is an issue for their organisation.

Highlights from the report: 49% of private sector tech employers rate experience above university degree as the most valuable skill when hiring

  • 26% says that the gender gap is an issue for their organisation
  • 61% expect to see a rise in digital roles in 2016 within their business
  • 95% of tech employers are either planning to give their staff a pay increase, or are undecided

More details from the report below. 

Review overview