2023 Trends and Fearless Predictions for 2024

With another year behind us and Motion Recruitment entering its 10th year in operation we have seen the tide come in and go out multiple times on the Australian IT recruitment market. So what stood out to us in 2023? Where did we see the most action? What was the biggest change and what could be in store for us in 2024?

We asked Motion Recruitment Director and IT Recruitment veteran Christian Green for his insights.
“2023 was an interesting year, dominated by national and at times global headwinds that impacted the tech recruitment landscape. Events such as the Ukraine war, multiple RBA rate rises and broader cost of living challenges played a part in denting the ambitions of many businesses and ultimately the drive to recruit new IT resources or deliver new projects. Added to this was a fairly dramatic downturn in the tech sector where many technology firms went from hiring furiously in 2022 to laying people off as little as 12 months later. Honestly, the mood could have been rosier but there were certainly pockets of prosperity and areas of growth”

So what did go well? What was in demand and were there any sectors that bucked the trend?
Profitable, well run businesses with resilient product or service offerings were (unsurprisingly) in a position to continue delivering projects or investing in the IT capabilities.

• The need for capable project managers kept us busy with approximately 10 % of all our placements during the year coming from this area. This was driven by clients who were in a position to continue the major projects they started in 2022
• Cyber security – multiple well reported breaches have made even the most lackadaisical management teams start to take this area very seriously. It was an area of growth in 2023 and will continue to be so in the medium term.
• Furthering the security theme, physical security solutions (CCTV, Alarms, Access Control solutions) and the people that install, maintain and service them were in huge demand. This was a new area of specialisation for Motion and one that is keeping us busy.
• The year also saw hybrid work environments emerge as the accepted compromise in the battle between work from home and office based work solutions.

What stood out?
It wouldn’t be a 2023 technology discussion without mentioning the advances in AI and the release of ChatGPT. We have all taken it for a spin, been impressed and are cautiously excited. As a recruitment firm we anticipate growth in demand for these skills and have had plenty of EOI from candidates for roles in this growing area. Watch this space

In a year that has already seen a Tasmanian become Queen of Denmark what can we expect to see in the Australian IT market?
On a whole we are optimistic about 2024. The pains of 2023 have been replaced by talk of cooling inflation, potential interest rate reductions, wages growth outpacing prices and disposable incomes rising as stage 3 tax cuts take effect. Companies that were forced to shed people and pause projects in 2023 will be looking to supplement their current workforce with contractors and select permanent hires. The need to continue bolstering cyber security protections and explore emerging opportunities in AI will drive competition for specialised IT professionals.

Thanks for reading and hoping you gained some insights. We’re looking forward to and wish you a prosperous year ahead. For help or advice attracting the best possible IT and Technology talent in 2024, Motion Recruitment is your trusted partner.

Christian Green – Director
15 Years IT recruitment expertise