- Hiring developers took the top spot in both 2022 and 2023 as the biggest staffing challenge for companies.
- With 58% of companies looking to bolster IT investment and facilitate digital transformations, according to The Gartner 2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap, the demand for skilled developers is outpacing supply.
- This article discusses what this shortage means for companies, why developers remain so hard to find, and what companies can do to bridge the gap.
Impact of Skilled Shortages
Business success depends on IT. From CRM solutions to data analytics, employee collaboration tools, and cybersecurity frameworks, effective technology management is critical.
Without skilled developers to take on this task, however, companies may be negatively impacted in three key areas:
1. Implementation
Without enough skilled developers, the implementation of new IT solutions may be significantly delayed or canceled outright. This can lead to both reduced operational efficiency and revenue loss as companies find themselves falling behind competitors.
2. Integration
While cloud-based services and software can help companies avoid the complexity that comes with an on-premises implementation, integration across existing solutions remains the purview of internal IT teams. If companies cannot secure enough skilled development staff, they may find themselves struggling to combine new and legacy technologies while simultaneously encouraging the adoption of new solutions among staff.Â
3. Innovation
Finally, the lack of skilled developers can hamper innovation. Most IT executives now say that the shortage of skilled talent makes it harder for them to adopt emerging technologies. With customers now expecting consistent, connected experiences, innovation issues can put companies behind the curve.
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Contributing Factors: Why Skilled Developers Are Hard To Find
The skilled developer shortage isn’t new. For the past two years, companies have considered the lack of IT expertise their biggest challenge. With this concern both common and consistent, why is the gap widening? Four reasons contribute to the ongoing shortage.Â
1. Supply and demand
Growth in demand for developers outpaces supply. Even with enrollment at colleges, universities, and certificate training programs on the rise, business demand outpaces current IT employment pools.
To help bridge the gap, some companies have established partnerships with local colleges and universities. By offering students the chance to learn in real-world environments, businesses can connect with the next generation of developers and create an education-to-employment pipeline.Â
2. Time and effort
Hiring skilled IT staff also requires more time and effort than other roles. There are two reasons for this delay: first, the number of available developer candidates is smaller than the volume of applicants for other positions, meaning it often takes more time before companies see any interest in job listings.
Once potential candidates are found, effort is required to ensure that applicants are suited for the role and the company. Given that developers will have access to a host of business data and resources, and given the stress they will be under to meet business goals, companies are best served putting in the effort to ensure they find their best fit.
3. Retention and churn
In the wake of the Great Resignation, many tech staff are willing to leave their current jobs for greener pastures if they don’t feel appreciated.
For companies with skilled developers on the payroll, retention is critical. This not only means paying well but also offering additional quality-of-life benefits to keep staff satisfied. For companies looking to capture churn as it occurs, crafting job roles and advertisements that stand out from the crowd is critical.
4. Work and life
Burnout is a problem for developers. With IT projects a top priority for companies, software developers are often under intense pressure to deploy, integrate, and manage new services.Â
This creates a paradox: the harder companies push skilled staff to achieve line-of-business goals, the more likely they are to miss these goals as developers look for other employers that respect their work/life balance.
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What comes next?
Developers are still hard to find, and data suggests the shortage won’t be going away anytime soon. So where does this leave companies? Put simply, they need to think outside the box. In practice, this means considering alternatives to traditional hiring practices.
For example, the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions makes it possible to automate repetitive tasks that are critical but don’t require skilled staff oversight. Another option is upskilling internal employees who may not have development credentials but have the interest and ability to expand their skill set. Finally, businesses may consider outsourcing developer roles to IT service management firms that can provide access to skilled software developers on demand.
Securing skilled staff remains a challenge. Pressures will eventually ebb but in a matter of years rather than months. While solutions such as AI, upskilling, and outsourcing can’t fully replicate the function of a skilled developer, they can help bridge the gap as supply slowly catches demand.
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