Recruiting and retaining top talent is a constant challenge in the tri-state area of Metro New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, according to the “Candidate Perspective Survey,” released today by Benchmark IT.

More than half of the area IT professionals polled, 58%, reported they intend to switch jobs within the next year — nearly five times more than the national average.

The research also found that salary isn’t always the driver when switching jobs. When asked what they consider the most important factor in accepting a job offer, 41% of respondents chose “skills growth and opportunity” compared to 12% who chose “salary.” Other top factors when considering a job change included “team environment and direct management” and “learning new skills and technologies” at 23% and 26% respectively.

“Turnover rates among tech pros are always higher than other sectors, and when combined with an already tight labor market, IT executives can expect even more pressure to stay fully staffed and operational,” said John Bemis, president and founder of Benchmark IT. “Recruiting and retaining top talent is a constant challenge, especially against a backdrop of changing technologies and C-suite expectations.”

Benchmark IT fielded questions to more than 1,300 area professionals currently employed in technology roles including project managers, software and infrastructure engineers and architects, and systems and business intelligence analysts, among others.