The tech sector is a huge economic driver. In a period of constant growth, few things seem more prevalent than tech companies, except maybe tech jobs. Those stretch beyond the usual tech giant suspects to organisations that haven’t traditionally had ties to tech – organisations like PwC.
PwC is very much on the tech bandwagon. Of the 500 roles announced by the Big Four firm before Christmas, many will fall into tech realms, such as cybersecurity, IT forensics and data analytics.
Of course, in offering roles beyond the typical tax and auditing positions, PwC opens itself up to two of the issues facing the tech industry – an employee preference for short-term roles, and heavy competition for limited candidates.
According to Lorraine Kelly, senior HR manager at PwC, the former is expected and not necessarily unwelcome.
“When you take in 250 graduates a year, we’re very aware that a lot of them look to us as a training ground, but we give people a really strong experience that they will take with them out into future roles,” says Kelly.
While the graduates may be inclined to move on from PwC, the constant movement of professionals from other tech companies can be a boon for the firm. It creates a talent pool with experience in a lot of different areas, which works in PwC’s favour.
When it comes to the narrow tech pipeline, the firm is similarly optimistic. According to Kelly, the competition just forces them to cast a wider net: “It’s looking at people who want to reskill, who want to transition from one career into another.”
They combat the talent gap by training in-house, and by supporting employees through further education.
Furthermore, PwC endeavours to make the firm an attractive place to work for people of all backgrounds.
“Our policy is about allowing everybody to be the best that they can be,” says Kelly.
For more information on working at PwC, watch Kelly’s full interview:
Updated on 4 March at 10.35am to include a new version of the Lorraine Kelly video.
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