The survey of nearly 1,000 information technology (IT) workers found that 58 percent are currently looking for new jobs. Four out of five tech workers looking for new jobs said their job search is somewhat or very active.

Higher pay is the number one reason why tech workers are talking with recruiters at staffing firms like HireStrategy, surfing career Web sites and reading help-wanted ads. The desire for more money was cited by 73 percent of individuals seeking new positions as their reason for doing so.

Money Not the Only Issue

But the CompTIA survey also indicates that IT professionals are interested in more than just their paychecks. “Obviously money is an issue, but you’ll see that there are other things: lack of advancement, lack of support for continuing education, feeling under appreciated,” says CompTIA spokesperson Steven Ostrowski.

The survey allowed workers to write in their own reasons for looking for a new job. A number of workers wrote, “I want to stop contracting.” A desire for steady full-time work was common. Lay-offs were often mentioned. Another common plea was for a “shorter commute to and from work.”

“Starving to Death with the Low Wages”

One frustrated worked claimed that “I’m rapidly starving to death with the low wages,” while another asked only that his boss “take his medication for his bipolar disorder.”

The survey found that nearly 60 percent of the IT professionals looking for new jobs have been with their current employers for three or more years; and 52 percent have been in their current job role for at least three years.

"Tech workers who stayed put in their jobs over several years of uncertainty in our industry are clearly looking to move on now that were in a period of growth," says Neill Hopkins, vice president, skills development, CompTIA.

Restless Workers Not Limited to IT Industry

The restless tech workforce is not limited to the IT industry. Among the workers surveyed one-quarter work with companies that are primarily in IT. But 16 percent work in education, 15 percent in government, 8 percent in healthcare, and 7 percent in manufacturing.

"The survey findings are a mixed blessing for employers," Hopkins says. "Some organizations will lose the IT workers who’ve been responsible for building and maintaining their technology infrastructure. But employers looking to build internal IT expertise should be able to draw from a large pool of technology professionals eager for new challenges."

Nicole Hardin is Managing Director, Recruitment Services, at HireStrategy, a professional staffing firm providing consulting services, permanent placement, and executive search solutions for companies and career management in the technology, sales, finance and accounting professions. HireStrategy, an Inc. 500 company, is ranked by The Washington Business Journal ranks HireStrategy as one of the top staffing firms in the Greater Washington area and calls it one of the area’s “Best Places to Work;” Washingtonian magazine named HireStrategy as one of Washington's "Great Places to Work".