Employers across many industries are suffering from a talent gap – but this shortage is especially critical in tech jobs.
In the 2016 Talent Shortage Survey, published by ManpowerGroup, IT staff jobs ranked second among the top in-demand roles worldwide. This was a jump of seven places in the global ranking, marking the biggest shift in any sector measured. Nearly one in five employers surveyed said that applicants didn’t have the required experience to do the work, and another one in five employers blamed lack of technical skills as the source of the problem.
And among 3,000 technology leaders questioned for the annual CIO Survey, commissioned by IT outsourcer Harvey Nash and auditing firm KPMG, 65% said that hiring challenges are hurting their industry. The report named data analytics, security and cloud computing, and project management as areas with roles in high demand.
The IT talent gap is a serious problem for employers, and York Solutions believes they must take two important steps to close it:
Harnessing the talents of overlooked populations.
Right now, many companies are struggling to fill critical tech positions. And yet, there are large numbers of educated and motivated people who are having difficulty getting hired. Businesses that recognize the potential of under-utilized groups – such as veterans, stay-at-home parents and care givers re-entering the job market, and people changing careers – benefit from tapping into these talent pools.
York Solutions’ Barriers to Entry (B2E) program aims to narrow the IT talent gap by providing companies with a new pipeline of these diverse, highly skilled candidates. Through an extensive training program, we prepare participants who may not have considered IT careers in the past, or who have been overlooked by existing hiring methods. B2E graduates are equipped with valuable life skills and IT project management expertise – and they give the companies they join a competitive edge for business growth.
Forecasting hiring needs and shortening the hiring cycle.
For companies to be efficient and competitive, they need to do a much better job forecasting their needs farther in advance. However, this is a difficult task as needs and tactics change rapidly. Having a strong partner that understands, demand, skills, local/regional and national markets is a good first step. Additionally, organizations need to understand that using antiquated hiring methods like job postings or relying just on a “good brand name” doesn’t do the trick anymore.
York’s Managed Service Solution (MS3) is a comprehensive talent delivery model that addresses an organizations’ need to scale their teams quickly and efficiently, while sharing the burden of hitting the business demand. We focus on Quality, Speed and Delivery through our hiring and team building methodology. Through extensive research York uncovered that how people think and problem solve is the highest indicator for success. While technical skill sets are important they are secondary to ensuring resources match the cultural direction of the business. York carries the full burden of building teams that can be delivered on an agreed upon forecasting schedule with resources equipped to help the organization transform. In doing so, we partner to create SLA’s, milestones, and deliverables that align with the teams’ objectives. This solution saves money, time, and shortens the hiring cycle so there is no gap between demand and output.
Need help building a team of top IT talent for your company? Learn more about York Solutions’ expert IT Resource Acquisition solutions.