In a post Covid era, 2023 was the year that Employer’s started to regain control over their workforce. Employees had become very used to working where and when they wanted. In fairness, as long as productivity was good, there were very few complaints from Employers. However, an increase in redundancies reminded Employees who their paymasters were and also, thankfully, brought tech salary inflation under control.

As we head into 2024, there is plenty to be excited about. Here are my Top 4 trends:

1. What makes you different? Company Culture is key to staff attraction & retention, and many companies will focus on rebuilding this to make sure people want to work there and stay there.
2. AI – you can’t attend any conference now without AI dominating the dialogue – it’s still relatively early days on mass adoption but thanks to AI we will all be targeted with more bespoke marketing which is a positive.
3. Candidate experience – companies that put an emphasis on an exceptional candidate experience will always get the best staff.  This means providing candidates with clear communication, timely feedback, and a personalised experience throughout the hiring process.
4. Outsourcing Recruitment – Many companies have downsized internal Recruitment teams and will instead outsource these services to a trusted Recruitment partner.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your teams every success in 2024.

Looking into the crystal ball for the Tech scene in 2024, it seems like we’re in for some shake-ups. Strategic mergers and acquisitions are on the horizon, not just for competition’s sake but as a strategy to reshape service and product offerings, opening up new markets. The spotlight will also stay firmly on remote work tools, security, and AI, changing how we work and turning our offices into flexible, efficient hubs. Sure, we’ve seen some redundancies in Tech, but on the flip side, we’ve also witnessed a wave of new job opportunities emerging on the back of tech innovations.

Extended reality (XR): XR is a term that encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). XR technologies are becoming increasingly sophisticated and affordable, and they are expected to play a major role in software development in 2024. XR applications can be used for training, product visualisation, and entertainment.

Edge computing: Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that brings data processing and storage closer to the location where it is needed. This can be useful for applications that require low latency or high availability. In 2024, we can expect to see more applications that leverage edge computing for real-time data processing and analytics.

Moving into 2024 may be welcomed by many.

Recruitment solutions such as hiring contractors will be considered by more companies in 2024, to allow them to recover from headcount freezes and redundancies that occurred during 2023. Hiring IT Contractors will be a strategic approach for organisations that faced budget constraints or restructuring challenges also. In such situations, companies may opt to bring in contractors on a temporary basis to meet specific project needs without committing to long-term employment. This trend will be huge in 2024.

Companies can benefit from hiring the highly skilled IT Contractors that are on the market in early 2024, when previously they wouldn’t have access to them due to long contract lengths.

2024 will be focused on having a flexible workforce- being able to scale up and down depending on requirements.

How to attract and retain the best tech. We surveyed our 110,000+ LinkedIn following, to gain insights into the factors that motivate employees to stay in or leave their jobs.

2023 was another fascinating year in the IT sector. After coming through the great resignation, solidifying the new hybrid way of working and seeing budget become king again in more testing economic conditions there has certainly been challenges.

That being said, many companies especially in N.I. have taken the opportunity to reset and focus on core projects and objectives for business leading to an influx of opportunities late in the year and indeed into 2024. Overall, the market outlook for N.I. is bright with demand for talent still high. Currently the IT sector generates £1.5 billion in revenue and employs over 20,000 professionals. With emerging technologies like A.I. becoming more widespread and Belfast/N.I. having a much lower cost of living compared to cities in Ireland and Great Britain, the area is still incredibly attractive to businesses globally.

We for see the following areas as key for growth moving in to 2024:

Cyber Security: Major growth area and not just for specialist cyber security organisations, MSP’s have all bulked out their offerings to include a cyber function, SaaS and Data organisations have doubled down on system and process security. From large enterprise to SME’s and start ups all organisations are increasingly aware of the importance of securing their operations digitally. We expect to see opportunities for cyber professionals across a plethora of industries.

AI: Becoming more and more widespread and easily accessible to everyone. Businesses really embraced AI in 2023 and with new functionality coming to market (Generative AI) this is another key area where demand is going to pick up over the next several years.

Fintech: The backbone of the IT sector in N.I. 2023 / 2024 has seen some major partnerships formed with some of the worlds leading tech giants including Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Lots of modernisation and digital transformation happening / planned for 2024 as such new skills are needed to help transition into these new tech stacks.

Cloud computing: The pandemic forced a lot of companies into the cloud with its unparalleled ease of access from any location and in many cases improved performance. With the success of the early adopters now solidified we are expecting many organisations left to move over to embrace the cloud in the coming year.

I think 2023 witnessed significant shifts in the post-Covid era, with AI emerging as a focal point for technological evolution and innovation. As we transition into 2024, the impact of AI on employment will be revealing, as some roles will become obsolete, with new ones created. Driving efficiencies and understanding its limitations will vary company to company, and industry to industry.

Amidst global tech giants downsizing in 2023, there was a clearer push by companies to get staff back into the office. Companies were more specific in what their hybrid model of working was to be, and that staff would have to agree to the new model or possibly seek employment elsewhere. The full effects of this are likely to play out in 2024 as many tech roles can be done just as effectively from home and staff will look to choose their desired way of working for the longer term.

Despite these changes, the tech market remains robust, with a persistent demand for skills amidst ongoing transformations and this will continue in 2024. Cybersecurity, given recurrent breaches, continues to be a specialized field, and AI is likely to play a bigger role. The medical sector, too, will hopefully see greater AI-driven advancements, promising enhanced efficiency in assessments and procedures, reducing waiting times for people in need.

Undoubtedly, 2024 is likely to be another transformative year in this dynamic sector.

I predict huge opportunity in 2024 in the SaaS sector, especially in the United States. Some estimates put the total SaaS market contraction in 2023 at around 20% – things can only get better. North America is the most mature and largest market for SaaS adoption and even in the face of economic uncertainty, the U.S is by far the most productive economy on the planet – growth is very much on the menu again. Some of the key trends that will shape the industry in 2024 are:

• Generative AI will continue to dominate news cycles, but the recent turmoil at OpenAI should be a reminder that there is no clear winner in this space… I predict a much more competitive LLM landscape in 2024 (think the early days of Betamax vs VHS) along with deeper dives into GAI quality (garbage in, garbage out springs to mind).
• Expect “RevOps” (Revenue Operations) to drive the next wave of Digital Transformation. As P&L becomes the primary if not sole focus for many SMEs, unifying the sales, marketing, and customer success teams under a single framework to optimise profitability and unleash real time reporting power should lead to digital transformation on a scale not seen since the ERP Rush of the ‘90s.
• Pertaining to recruitment, poorly deployed automation en masse (Spam) will lose out to folks who continue to lead with or at least intersperse personalised and customised interactions – people remember the experience of interacting with you as a person, they don’t remember a chatbot.

In 2024, all L&D and HR leaders will note the “awakening” of the silent giant – Talent As A Service (TaaS).

In 2024 the generic definition of Talent as a Service (TaaS), referring to a model where businesses can access and utilize talent on-demand, often facilitated by technology platforms, will evolve.  This will be the year the ‘approach and process’ of TaaS will be valued & it will reflect a shift toward more flexible and dynamic employment arrangements.

The empowerment of an organizations workforce to increase business success will be driven by TaaS.

This subscription based TaaS model includes:

• Continuous learning & growth
• Skill specialization (& upskilling).
• Ability to focus on freelancers, contractors, and an available ‘agile’ employee workforce.
• Ability to scale up or down based on the organizational needs.
• Awareness of AI & industry regulations.
• Advisory services for HR, L&D and IT integration with enterprise systems/platforms.
• Support of DE&I initiatives – accelerating careers, increasing gender equity (especially in senior roles leading to increasing profits), pursuit of nontraditional candidates expanding talent pipelines & providing an environment committed to a more inclusive future.

All of this setting up your employees/business for success now and in the future.

Based on ongoing trends and the trajectory of digital transformation, I have the following predictions for the tech market in 2024:

Acceleration of Cloud Adoption:

Cloud computing will persist as a pivotal force in digital transformation. More businesses, encompassing small and medium-sized enterprises, will transition their operations to the cloud to augment flexibility, scalability, and collaboration.

AI Integration in Business Processes:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning will become indispensable in various business processes, spanning from customer service to supply chain management. Companies will increasingly employ AI for data-driven decision-making, automation, and personalised customer experiences.

Cybersecurity Innovation:

Given the expanding threat landscape, there will be a sustained emphasis on cybersecurity. Innovations in threat intelligence, zero-trust architectures, and AI-driven security solutions will be pivotal in safeguarding digital assets.

Sustainability Tech:

Environmental concerns will steer the adoption of sustainable technologies. Businesses will allocate resources to solutions mitigating their carbon footprint, optimising energy consumption, and fostering eco-friendly practices.

Regulatory Changes:

Governments worldwide will adjust regulatory frameworks to tackle the challenges and opportunities posed by digital transformation. This may encompass data privacy regulations, AI ethics guidelines, and cybersecurity standards.

Further adoption on the Agile way of working:

Agile methodologies had been on a steady rise in the tech industry due to their flexibility, adaptability, and ability to respond to rapidly changing requirements.

Agile emphasises continuous delivery and improvement, allowing teams to deliver incremental updates and improvements regularly. This aligns well with the demand for quicker development cycles and faster time-to-market in the tech sector.

Agile methodologies also prioritise customer feedback and satisfaction. As customer expectations evolve and become more central to product development, the customer-centric approach of agile may lead to its continued adoption in the tech.