Your IT workers may have faced pay cuts and bigger workloads in the last year, happy to just have a job, but many of the most talented ones are just waiting out the recession and likely will jump to the next best deal when things improve.

The big question for every IT exec these days is how to keep their top talent when the economic climate gets better and new jobs start appearing. IT workers who endured salary and benefit cuts, may now turn around and snatch up a cushier job, according to Caroline Simard, director of research and executive programs at the Anita Borg Institute for women and technology.

Women IT workers may be more likely to look for new jobs if they have lost professional development, mentoring and flexibility in the workplace, Simard said. "Flexibility is a key point, but during the downturn, when everyone is afraid of losing their job, they stop asking for flexibility required for a work-life balance--and this change in culture impacts women more than men," Simard added.

So watch out and be aware that people have been testing the waters for a better economic climate and the IT talent you need the most may be headed out the door.

For more on keeping good IT workers:
- see this CIO.com article

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