South Africa is currently experiencing a shortage of an estimated 70,000 plus information and
communication technology (ICT) professionals, which is compounded by the fact that the number
of information and communication technology (ICT) graduates is now showing a decline. At an
organisational level, the effective use of ICT for organisational information management is
difficult without having appropriately ICT-skilled (e-skilled) employees. The shortage of e-skills
in South Africa and much of Africa forces companies to work at retaining their existing e-skilled
professionals, but this task is becoming increasingly difficult. Thus, this study established the
objective to explore the factors that contribute to the retention of skilled ICT professionals in one
international consulting organisation in South Africa, which also might bear relevance to other
similar organisations operating in many other African countries. This study aimed to show that
identifying these retention factors would lead to a better understanding of effective ways to retain
much needed ICT-skilled professionals in organisations in South Africa. The findings of this
study can help organisations in South Africa (and possible in other African countries) to
formulate effective retention strategies and also provide a base for further academic research in
this field. This qualitative exploratory research was done by reviewing the pertinent literature in
order to identify relevant retention factors and the subsequent empirical testing of these factors.
For that purpose, a single case study methodology was deployed, embracing three levels of ICT
professional: consultants, managers and directors. The reviewed literature elicited 15 factors
influencing the retention of e-skilled professionals. After testing these factors with 25
professionals at Company A, it was found that the following five factors are the most important
when deciding to remain with the company or not: compensation, promotional opportunities,
empowerment, interpersonal relationships, and personal well-being. This suggested that the ICT
professionals in Company A are overwhelmingly driven by the need for reward and personal
well-being, thus confirming that they predominantly belong to the Theory X type and,
philosophically, to the Rational-Economic beings.
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