IT Workers Are Staying Put Longer

Late last month, I wrote about a report that found a disconnect between federal HR leaders and IT operational managers over effective measures for bringing on the next generation of IT leaders.

But as agencies look to hash out how to effectively roll out succession plans for the IT workforce, it may be helpful to know that many technology workers are staying in their jobs longer than workers in other fields, Dice.com reports.

According to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national median for employee tenure at their current employer rose from 4.4 years in January 2010 to 4.6 years in January 2012. But in the computer and electronic products industry, the median employee tenure rose from 5.9 years in 2010 to 7.7 years in 2012, BLS found.

Telecommunications employees also are staying put, going from a median tenure of 6.6 years in 2010 to 7.4 years in 2012.

Still, the BLS data suggest that succession planning may become more challenging as more and more younger employees enter the workforce. BLS found that the overall median tenure for employees age 65 and over was 10.3 years in January 2012, compared with 3.2 years for workers age 25 to 34.

Meanwhile, TechRepublic has a list of 10 strategies IT leaders can use to keep their staff from jumping ship.