Around one in five IT workers is dissatisfied in their current positions, and a third plan to find a new job this year, according to a recent survey conducted by an online recruitment firm.

IT workers cite an unmanageable workload, dissatisfaction with pay and a lack of effective leadership as the leading factors influencing their decisions to look for new opportunities this year.

The survey discovered that 61 per cent of IT workers believe their workload has increased over the past six months, and nearly half say their workload is unmanageable.

This leads to a figure of nearly 30 per cent who are dissatisfied with the balance between their work and home lives.

Salaries are weighing heavily on the minds of IT workers. Only 20 per cent said they received a raise of more than five per cent during 2005, and two thirds did not receive a bonus. Overall, 48 per cent of IT workers say they are not happy with their pay.

Satisfactory leadership also seems to be lacking, according to 38 per cent of IT staffers, who are not happy with the way their corporate leaders are running the organisation. Around 25 per cent are dissatisfied with their direct supervisors.

More than a third of IT workers feel that their employer could offer more career advancement opportunities, while 30 per cent would like to see more emphasis on training and development.

"IT is one of the top areas that managers say they will be recruiting for in 2006," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com.

"With the labour market becoming more competitive, hiring managers may need to rethink their recruitment and retention strategies."

The CareerBuilder.com survey was conducted among visitors to the website between 15 November and 6 December 2005.