According to the Observatorio da Sociedade da Información e a Modernización de Galicia, in 2022 there were more than 3,000 technology companies in Galicia. This figure places the community in fifth place in the country. Another highlight of the same report is the gross value added, which exceeded 1,740 million euros, representing almost 3% of Galicia’s GDP.
One of the factors that have driven this growth in the IT sector is the process of transformation of Galician industry towards Industry 4.0. In recent years, investments in R&D&I have increased, thanks to the fact that the business fabric is increasingly aware of the need to participate in what is called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The aim is to make production processes more efficient, more controlled and, in general, to make industrial activity itself more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. For this reason, overall investment in R&D&i continues to increase year after year.
The human capital behind Galicia’s IT boom
The excellent health of this sector in Galicia would not be possible without the human capital behind these figures. Nearly 22,000 people work in IT companies in Galicia, and last year the number of recruitment processes in the technology sector increased by 40%. There is a lot more work than companies and technology centers can handle with their existing teams.
Can they meet the strong demand from technology centers like Gradiant? The technology sector in Spain needs 120,000 more people to meet all the needs of companies. Galicia is the sixth community that offers positions in ICT companies. The most requested profiles are ICT technical professionals, digital project managers, system administrators, software developers and ICT consultants. This sector has a placement rate of 95%, which means that there is full employment. In Galicia, students with degrees in Engineering, IT and Health have the best job placement rates. Many students are hired even before they graduate.
Faced with this shortage of professional profiles, technology centers and companies are competing to offer the best conditions to people seeking these jobs. In 2022, the average salary in this sector will increase by 14%. However, in recent years there has been a change in the understanding of work, and the economic reward is not the main factor for which a professional in the field of technology would choose one or another job offer.
Emotional pay and other recruitment incentives
Work-life balance is key to attracting and retaining talent. Flexibility to work from home is one of the most important aspects in choosing a job, as is salary, according to the Hays job market guide. This factor has become even more important in the aftermath of the pandemic. The hybrid model, i.e. the flexibility of being able to work some days in the office and others at home, is most in demand. According to Christopher Dottie, director of the company that produced the report, “76% of professionals with a hybrid model are satisfied, while only 50% of those who do not telework are satisfied.
Another key factor is job security. Twenty-one percent of employees consider this to be one of the most important factors in attracting talent. In addition, 16% of employees rank career development and growth opportunities within the company as the most important factor after salary.
Among the new priorities of professionals is also the “emotional salary”. This is the non-monetary salary with which the company rewards people. This emotional salary includes training opportunities, social benefits such as childcare or restaurant vouchers, gym membership, etc.
How to attract and retain talent
We are aware that the emotional salary is an important factor in people’s choice of career development. That’s why, at Gradiant, we add other benefits to the salary and the percentage of variable pay based on knowledge and experience. We believe that balancing personal and professional is very important. You can choose how you want to work, and we’ll adapt: do you prefer to be remote all the time? in the office all the time? a hybrid? Finding the right balance with your team is entirely up to you. We also value your desire to keep learning, so you will be able to dedicate eight hours of your time each month to continuing your education. This aspect is very important to us. In fact, over the past five years, our team has invested more than 21,000 hours and nearly 150,000 euros in training.
Horizontal communication
This budget includes training to improve your technical skills, as long as they are aligned with the center’s business strategy, as well as soft skills to lead teams or projects, for example, if you need to improve your English level, you have the opportunity to take classes. And of course, we have a flexible benefits program that all team members can take advantage of: restaurant vouchers, childcare, transportation, and health insurance, among others. Gradiant wants you to feel good, and we think it is extremely important to focus on the mental health of our team. That’s why we’ve implemented a mental health program with a team of psychology specialists to provide tools that help develop emotional intelligence.
And what about the time off? Well, a total of 37 days off per year. Yes, you read that right, 37 days. In addition to vacations and holidays, we add some like #VenresDeTroula (one Friday off per month) and the day of your birthday. These are some of the benefits you’ll get for working in our team. We have an exceptional atmosphere and horizontal communication is the key to everything. As a result, this year our staff has continued to grow to more than 170 people who are the architects of Gradiant has become a technology center of reference in Galicia and abroad.
