Recruiting IT specialists: Cambridge now 'programmers' pick up joint'
Fast-growing high-tech businesses could be stopped in their tracks as multinationals descend on Cambridge to scoop up available programming expertise, according to a senior executive at Envisional, the Cambridge-based Internet monitoring and intelligence company.
"There's been one ad on the radio wanting 60 programmers and technicians for just one big US company in Hertfordshire," Envisional's technology VP Bill Munday (pictured) said today. "A quick glance through the jobs pages shows how Cambridge is seen as the programmers' pick-up joint."
His warning is hot on the heals of comments last month by Hamid Farzaneh, President and CEO of Newnham, a network graphics semiconductor technology company headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with R&D activities (Newnham Research) in Cambridge.
Mr Farzaneh said his company was "hiring aggressively", with about a dozen positions open in Cambridge - most of them are for software and hardware engineers. "We have a very high standard and do not want to lower the bar,” he said.
Mr Munday believes the long-term implications are serious.
Hiring is tough
"It's already tough enough hiring for Cambridge, with commuter congestion and the high cost of housing. Chequebook recruiting by aggressive multinationals makes it even harder and threatens the whole Silicon Fen phenomenon."
Envisional's response is to stress the benefits it offers beyond a competitive pay packet, such as flexible working, a "sparky" creative environment and a chance to make a real difference, working on leading-edge technology with an international team. But clearly Mr Munday is worried this won’t be enough.
Envisional creates advanced automated artificial intelligence search technologies that allow businesses to discover online occurrences and information that an unlimited number of people would be unlikely to expose.
It has developed Internet monitoring systems that detect phishing and fraud, piracy, counterfeiting and trademark and intellectual property abuse for a client list studded with global market leaders. Hollywood film studios use the firm to track video copyright breaches, for instance.
"Cambridge's businesses have so much to offer employees, and we all need to work hard to make the benefits attractive," Munday said.
"There is a nationwide shortage of good IT people, but we have to make sure Cambridge isn't stripped of this expertise as the multinationals hoover it up."
Mr Farzaneh said last month that “one of the things that is a limit to our growth is our ability to attract talent". He said of Newnham's Cambridge R&D facility recruiting drive that if staff could not be found in Cambridge the firm would recruit elsewhere and transfer people in.
Last month Brady plc (BRY.L), Cambridge-based supplier of software for commodity trading, said it intended to recruit extra staff to ensure it has the capacity to meet potentially increased demand for its products.
7th August 2006
