The successful IT staffing firm must satisfy two very different customer bases — the paying client corporation and the IT talent that has been found, delivered and deployed. In order to help staffing firms better serve the latter, SIA conducts an annual survey of agency temporary workers, and has recently published the 2020 Temporary Worker Survey, a 200-plus page compilation of this year’s survey insights along with a summary of findings from prior years. This year’s survey report is based on responses collected in the fourth quarter of 2019.

One key topic probed was the differing motivations that IT talent bring when they accept positions with IT staffing firms. It found 56% of IT temporary workers viewed their assignment as a means to finding or obtaining a permanent position. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, 38% of workers reported their primary reason for taking a temporary assignment was to generate income, learn new skills or for other reasons not related to finding a permanent position.

In a related, but slightly different question on preferred work arrangement, 65% of IT temporary workers preferred to work in a traditional employment arrangement while 27% indicated that they wished to work on a fixed duration project, as a freelancer, or as a self-employed contractor.

These stark differences in IT talent preferences are a reminder that the talent pool is not monolithic, and individual IT professionals cannot be engaged and retained using simplistic pitches and formulas. Rather tailored solutions are critical for acquiring and retaining the IT talent that is the lifeblood of IT staffing firms.

We invite IT staffing firms that are SIA corporate members to view the full report findings here. In addition to worker motivations and work type preferences, this year’s study takes an in depth look at IT talent preferences regarding working hours, use of human cloud platforms, training resources, communication channels, and health insurance and other employee benefits.