Size Matters - The IT Job Board Finds That Almost Two Thirds of Techies Think Small Companies are Suffering More in the Current Climate

LONDON - 60 percent of UK techies believe that small companies are suffering more in the current economic climate. This is the latest headline finding from research[1] undertaken by The IT Job Board, www.theitjobboard.co.uk.

Despite this finding, more than half (53 percent) of respondents stated that this has not affected their decision on whether to work for a small, medium or large company.

For the 48 percent who believed the current climate would have an impact on their choice of where to work, 53 percent advised that they would avoid applying to smaller organisations, 37 percent to large companies and 32 percent to medium-sized businesses.

When applying for IT jobs, 58 percent do look at the size of a company, with 57 percent preferring to work for large businesses, and 43 percent choosing small to medium sized organisations.

Reasons for working for a large company: - Salary - 65 percent - Training opportunities - 64 percent Reasons for working for smaller organisations: - Larger scope of responsibilities - 65 percent - Visibility with top management - 56 percent

When asked which type of company they would choose to get the best training, 63 percent said they would select larger organisations. And, for extra benefits, again, 67 percent would opt for bigger companies.

Advantages of working for a big company: - Having a big company name on the CV - 93 percent - More opportunities for travel and formal training - 88 percent - Easier to move to another city (via transfer) - 82 percent Advantages of working for a small to medium sized company: - Having the chance to try new types of work - 95 percent - Growth of influence - 94 percent - Visibility with top management - 93 percent

Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, commented: “Techies certainly seem to think that small companies are suffering more in the current climate. However, it is good to see that this hasn’t affected the choices many would make in the size of organisation they would work for.

“Bigger companies seem to have more draw when it comes to training and salary benefits. But, small organisations still have their place, and it is encouraging to see that techies relish jobs in IT that offer more challenging work.”

Notes to editors

About The IT Job Board:

The IT Job Board (www.theitjobboard.co.uk) is the biggest IT jobs site in the UK with over 16,500 vacancies advertised.

The IT Job Board group of companies was set up in April 2002 in recognition that recruitment in the IT sector was increasingly dominated by the internet.

Online technology enables sophisticated targeting - for example by skill, region or experience - of www.theitjobboard.co.uk’s database of 800,000 IT professionals. The IT Job Board always tries to get closer to candidates either via planned content campaigns, or through the use of social networks.

The site also offers employers services such as branded job postings, a featured employer zone, targeted email campaigns and guidance on advertising copy. The managed campaign service filters responses to provide companies with a shortlist of applicants most suitable for the advertised position.

www.theitjobboard.co.uk’s clients include Bloomberg, Ford Retail, GCHQ, Lloyds Pharmacy, Forte Trinity, Office for National Statistics, ESRI UK and The London Borough of Hillingdon.

[1] 243 respondents answered a poll on large vs. small companies. 58 percent worked within the software and IT services sector, and 45 percent of those worked in companies with more than 500 employees. The poll was carried out in February 2009.

For further information, interviews and photography please contact: Katrina Suppiah Publicite Ltd T: +44(0)20-8543-6582 E: k.suppiah@publicite.co.uk

Source: The IT Job Board

For further information, interviews and photography please contact: Katrina Suppiah, Publicite Ltd, T: +44(0)20-8543-6582, E: k.suppiah at publicite.co.uk