There is a shortage of talent in technology. As a result, looking for reputable employees is scarce. Currently, the growing tech talent shortage is at its highest level since 2008. So, what are some of the reasons why the technology sector is falling behind, and why is the IT talent shortage continuously growing? Read on to find out more!
IT is Being Replaced
One of the many reasons that the IT talent gap is growing is because of the need to go fully digital. Tech companies are looking for more, something that is greater than IT talent. Unfortunately, that leaves the technology sector scrambling to get with the times of these new digital-heavy, advanced work positions.
COVID-19 has Impacted Heavily
Because of COVID-19, many businesses had to close their doors and move their workspace to their home office (or bedroom, we don’t judge). Because of this, companies had to accelerate their “long-term” option of transforming to online services. Nobody likes to rush, and that is what hurts these specific “long-term” ideas for transforming products and services to digital services. Because of this acceleration, businesses had to use up more resources than normal. Thus, relevant skills became scarce, which only widened the need for appropriate resources.
Poor Education
Only 13.2% of institutions offer AP computer science courses, and a high percentage of jobs in the next decade or so will require these skills. So, what does this say about the talent shortage? Education is the foundation beneath the solution to the IT talent gap. If there is going to be a solution to the gap, funding needs to be located for these educational programs to succeed.
Diversity Challenges
This should have been the number one reason on the list. Discrimination based on race, sex, and age is highly noticeable within the tech talent sector. Overall, tech talent is mostly run by men with limited variety. When things are designed by men in the tech world, it tends to be for users who identify as male rather than for all genders.
Choosing Favorites
Not only do parents inadvertently choose their favorite child, but tech companies also do. Tech companies want the best and therefore favor recent university graduates rather than someone with more field experience. Newsflash, you do not need a degree to be deemed compatible enough for a job. Your skills, experience, and fresh outlook should be evaluated, not measuring a GPA.
Inflation
Inflation can cause an increase in prices and salaries. This caused a more significant challenge for filling in roles that are considered “high-priced.” This situation may be only country-specific, and inflation may not apply to all technology sectors. Thankfully, the risk of inflation is low in the US and has been steadily decreasing.
Digitalization of the Workspace
Digitalization is great on one hand because it allows us to create a bigger impact from the comfort of home and offer more jobs. On the other hand, however, many jobs had to switch to remote access, resulting in local talent moving onto international tech groups. This only left out other countries from the same opportunities because they weren’t on the same digital journey as others (UK and US, for example).
