Technology / 5 ways to tackle tech skills shortages head-on
James Potter
July 5, 2018
There’s plenty written about technology skills shortages. But how can your business overcome this challenge and attract the talent it needs to fill those gaps?
Properly assessing what you have to offer is an important first step.
And while there’s no easy fix, there are various steps you can take to implement positive change.
I’ve examined some of the key themes I regularly encounter and listed my top tips for meeting tech skills shortages head-on.
Skills gaps in numbers
The world’s technology leaders are bullish about their growth prospects but remain concerned about a lack of key skills.
That’s according to PwC’s 21st Global Annual CEO Survey. Of the 127 respondents working in the tech industry, 43% are ‘extremely concerned’ about the availability of key skills.
A report conducted by Capgemini and LinkedIn broke this down further still.
The Capgemini Digital Transformation Institute Survey found that 55% of global organisations believe the digital talent gap is widening, with this number rising to 70% in the United States.
Meanwhile, 59% of respondents said they believed the talent gap in soft digital skills is more pronounced than in hard digital skills with the demands for hard digital skills still outpacing supply.
How to rise to the challenge
To attract and retain the best you need to revaluate your processes and understand what tech talent wants.
Make your candidates the hero in your story
What’s your company’s purpose and how will a new employee make a difference?
You’ve got to sell exciting challenges and make your candidates know how they’ll become the tech heroes in your organisation.
However, it’s not enough to simply lure them in.
You need to follow through on your promises and ensure the reality matches up to the dream you’re pushing.
Be flexible
Tech needs a flexible environment that encourages collaboration.
In fact, it’s been earmarked as the number one priority for IT job seekers.
Millennials, Gen Z, however you wish to bracket today’s workforce, it wants a tech-enabled space where people from all backgrounds can come together anywhere, anytime.
The ability to work from home, or at least remotely, is prized more highly than a bigger pay packet.
And that’s just one part of being flexible, with adoption leave, caregiver leave and other perks all valued.
It’s not all about the money, but…
When was the last time you benchmarked your salaries against the industry competition?
With skillsets continuing to advance at such a rapid pace it’s important to keep a handle on how you compensate existing skills - as well as any new ones acquired.
Various surveys are published each year while it’s also beneficial to bring in a third-party to conduct an independent salary and benchmarking review.
Go on a learning and development journey
Taking your employees’ development seriously improves both attraction and retention. To get the attention you want your business needs to clearly outline career progression pathways.
Likewise, if you want talented people to stick around then you need to continually upskill.
Are tech organisations getting it right?
Not according to some research. A sizeable 52% of tech workers have said training budgets for digital talent have remained flat or are decreasing.
Meanwhile, 29% of employees believe their skill set is redundant now and 38% believe it will be redundant in the next 4–5 years.
To counteract this, tech businesses need to get serious about their L&D offering and ensure it remains current and fit for purpose.
Companies doing this well include the likes of Salesforce, Yelp and Adobe.
Look further afield
If you’re struggling to find the right people on your doorstep then it can be beneficial to broaden your horizons.
The global tech talent pool is becoming increasingly diverse with hubs opening across the world.
How can you take advantage of this competitive landscape and build your presence in other markets?
You’ve got look good and have the capability to manage the recruitment process
Want to know more? We’ve also outlined some quick wins here.
But to really get to the heart of the challenges facing your business why not drop me a brief email at james.potter@bps-world.com? I’d love to hear what you’re doing to tackle tech skills shortages.
