Summer of Tech 2022 Report

*A rare in-person celebration for some of the Summer of Tech 2022 team. Back row: Trent, Royden, Komal, Yekti, Alana, Ruth; Front row: John, Shannon, Kate and Yana*

2022 was a year of experiments, challenges and new directions for Summer of Tech. At the beginning of the year, our founder John Clegg joined the team as Co-CEO, and three new team members joined us: Kate and Royden joined the Employer team, Shannon join our Student and Events team. Our people allowed us to extend our reach and try a few new things.

We wanted to create more employment opportunities for students and graduates by running three recruitment seasons in March and June, as well as our usual one in September. We also had pilot partnerships with NZ Game Developers Association and Engineering New Zealand. These initiatives, along with a hot recruitment market for tech talent, led to a record number of internship, graduate and contract opportunities for candidates in 2022.

For the first time since 2019, we hosted in-person Meet & Greet events, one in Auckland and one in Wellington. We went above and beyond government guidelines to ensure attendees felt safe and stayed healthy, and welcomed over 1000 attendees at Wellington and 850 attendees in Auckland. It was fantastic to see candidates and employers interacting again, and we were very happy to offer 5 online Meet & Greet events throughout the year to ensure recruitment opportunities were accessible to everyone.

2022: Curveballs kept coming

Covid and global and local economic upheavals continued to throw curveballs during 2022 and we contended with challenges as everyone adjusted to life during this stage of the pandemic. Although the lockdowns were over, we had to adjust as we moved through traffic light levels, vaccination expectations and mixed and unpredictable ability to interact in person. Hybrid working and learning environments were taking their toll, and “Zoom” fatigue was a real factor. Macroeconomic factors grew into a full-blown cost of living crisis, and it was no surprise that we saw lower candidate engagement at events and slower candidate registrations throughout the year. We appreciate that many students prioritised managing their academic workload and part-time jobs over participating in our events.

Our highlights for 2022

1) 439 placements

We achieved a grand total of 439 placements across Aotearoa, including 339 summer internships. With all the year’s challenges, delivering big numbers was rewarding for our team.

The SoT team on stage accepting the ‘Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector’ at the Hi Tech Awards.

2) Hi Tech Award winners

In August, we were honoured to receive the ‘Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector’ Award at the Hi Tech Awards. It was a big surprise for us as we felt humbled to be in such great company. It was awesome for our team to attend, connect and celebrate with the tech community, and accept the award on behalf of everyone who has participated, volunteered and contributed to Summer of Tech since 2006.

*Sign language interpreter in action at a Trade Me Bootcamp*

3) Providing hands-on support for deaf and hard-of-hearing candidates

We had the honour of supporting two hard-of-hearing students during their recruitment in 2022. We provided interpreters at bootcamps and recruitment events and were stoked when one of these candidates landed an internship role in October. We’re thrilled to share tips for Employers working with hard-of-hearing students.

*Auckland Meet & Greet begun with a warm welcome and karakia by Nicky Maaka*

4) Starting our Te Ao Māori journey

In 2022, we began learning and integrating more te reo Māori into our work and everyday lives. We had the pleasure of having Nicky Maaka and Joshua Wetere guide us as we worked together as a team. It was so powerful to have Nicky open our Meet & Greet events in Auckland and Wellington with a karakia.

The Data for 2022

2022 Summer of Tech Report: 207 Volunteers & mentors contributed 500+ volunteer hours; 84 Bootcamps including CV reviews & mock interviews; 2,438 registrations; 3,239 Candidates attended Meet & Greet; 439 placements in 2022

Our Candidates:

2022 saw 2,438 live candidate profiles (students and graduates within two years of completing their studies) from 38 tertiary institutions throughout Aotearoa. 485 were recent graduates, and 804 candidates were in their final year.

Our 2022 cohort were from 38 institutions and interested in a broad range of tech jobs. The challenges with student enrolment and engagement meant we struggled with ethnic diversity and continued to see Māori and Pasifika candidates underrepresented.

2022 Available Candidates by Ethnicity

Once again, we had slightly more female candidates available compared to 25% of IT workers currently in the industry:

2022 Available Candidates by Gender

We are starting to see more candidates with various skills and interests coming through from the different institutions. More than ever before, Data and Software roles are our most popular job category:

2022 Applications by Job Category

Aptitude for Learning: Candidate Participation at Industry Events

We hosted 84 candidate events, with 2,225 unique candidates attending an average of two events (bootcamps) each. Our team of 207 volunteers conducted 372 1:1 coaching sessions. Successful candidates participated in an average of four bootcamps.

2022 Event Type and Location

Summer of Tech attended 10 virtual and on-campus career fairs and delivered 27 informational sessions at tertiary institutions across Aotearoa.

Auckland Meet & Greet: People talking at a booth — *Auckland Meet & Greet*

Success at Meet & Greet: Engaging Candidates

3,239 candidates (1,964 unique candidates) attended five online and two in-person Meet & Greet recruitment events in 2022. Employers then invited 1,223 candidates to Speed Interviews.

Running the three recruitment seasons (March, June and September) led to a 27% increase in non-summer internship placements compared to 2021.

2022 Outcomes: Offers & Placements

We experimented (again!) with internship offers opening soon after our September Meet & Greet event, leading to 187 “earlier” accepted summer internships between Meet & Greet and Offers Day. We believe this solved some challenges of the competitive recruitment landscape in 2021 and significantly improved candidate stress and anxiety levels during recruitment season. Our top candidates in 2022 received five offers, compared to eight or nine offers which have been the norm for the past 5 years. This meant less stress for popular candidates and proportionally more single-offer acceptances than ever before.

Placements 2017-2022

351 interns, 62 graduates and 26 contractors were hired at 115 organisations in 2022. Successful candidates were from 30 tertiary institutions. If you compare this graph with the “applications” one above, you can see there's no talent shortage. We have approximately 10:1 applicants for the roles available:

2022 Placements by Job Category

Insight #1: Data and Security roles were hot
Throughout 2022, the interest and availability of security and data roles were intense. Security roles grew from 23 in 2021 to 40 in 2022 (74% increase). Data roles grew from 28 to 51 (82% increase). We had a constant stream of security roles recruiting throughout the year. We expect to see data and security listings increase again in 2023!

Massive changes are happening in Aotearoa’s tertiary education sector. Our placements this year continue to be dominated by mainstream institutions. However, they reflect the growth of new and non-traditional qualifications. We are excited to see a growth in placements from Dev Academy Aotearoa, Developers Institute and Mission Ready HQ, as employers are seeing and capturing potential from all walks of life and educational pathways.

2022 Placements by Tertiary Institution

17 other tertiaries were represented, with 1-5 Placements each.

Candidates at any stage of their study are eligible for our programme. We had a good spread in our placements, from 11% in 1st year to 21.8% graduated within the past 24 months. 60% of successful candidates were in their final year of study.

2022 Placements by Year of Study

Insight #2: Amazing talent at all levels
We had an amazing level of talent this year. Our most popular candidate with the highest number job offers was a 1st-year security student. This is the first time a 1st-year student has been our top candidate, reflecting their exceptional potential and communication skills. We also saw an increase in graduate placements, and our extension of eligibility to 2 years post completion has helped many graduates secure work after their career start was impacted by pandemic challenges.

Other attributes of successful candidates:

92% attended at least one Meet & Greet event

80% of interns placed through Summer of Tech are retained

Wages: up 16% since 2019

11 winter and 339 summer interns were hired and paid an average of $27.41/hr.

62 graduates were hired into full-time permanent roles and paid an average of $61,500/year.

2017-2022 Average Hourly Rate for Accepted Offers

2022 Average Hourly Rate by Job Category

Insight #3: Wages up, QA and Data pay top dollar
The average hourly rate for interns and graduates has grown by 16% since 2019. QA and Data roles are paying top dollar. Some AI/ML roles pay over $30 per hour. We have continued to see pay for Engineering roles lag behind Software roles which will need addressing if employers want to attract the best talent.

Re-shaping the Tech Industry in Aotearoa

We strive to lower barriers for underrepresented groups in the tech industry and are proud to see our % of non-male placements return to above 40% after a dip in 2021. We have a shortage of Māori & Pasifika candidates AND placements, and we're working to address this through partnering with non-traditional tertiaries and other providers who are working to improve Māori and Pasifika pathways into tech careers.

Although our placements continue to be focused on Wellington and Auckland locations, we are seeing more diverse candidates and a rise in fully remote roles, which is changing the recruitment landscape.

2022 Candidates & Internship by Region Data. A Map of New Zealand. 439 Total Placements, 2,438 Total Candidates. Auckland,1,240 candidates, 135 placements. Tauranga, 22 candidates, 5 placements. Hamilton, 90 candidates.

Placements by region, 6.5% were fully remote (compared to 1% in 2021), and 20% of candidates relocated for intern and graduate positions.

Insight #4: Remote and Hybrid work is here
Fully remote roles grew from 1% to 5% compared to 2021. Hybrid working, working from home part of the week, was included in almost every job listing. Although most employers found onboarding and training most effective in-person, many offer flexibility to their team, including interns and graduates.

2017-2022 Non-Male Placements

*Ka kite ano, see you again! Thanks to all who supported Summer of Tech in 2022.*

We couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our generous volunteers

207 volunteers generously contributed 500+ volunteer hours in various capacities (bootcamp presenters, super mentors, alumni panels, career clinics support)

More than 50% of our presenters and volunteers identify as wāhine or gender diverse. Some volunteers also represent the LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, Māori, migrant or disability communities.

Balanced representation is important to inspire the next generations in tech to thrive and ultimately create an inclusive tech industry.