How to Eliminate the Damaging Effects of the Skills Gap

With the increased use of technology in various fields, there are increasing numbers of IT jobs that remain unfilled. We understand this as the skills shortage. It may be affecting your company.

In this article, we discuss the skills gap in IT jobs and look at ways you can eliminate it as a damaging problem for your company.

Why Is the IT Job Skills Shortage a Problem?

The IT skills gap is not limited to the United States. It is estimated that there is a global talent shortage of around 40 million skilled workers. If this shortage is not tackled successfully, companies risk losing a colossal $8.4 trillion in revenue.

In the United States alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects an additional 667,000 new IT jobs by 2030.

In its latest CIO Survey, Harvey Nash/KPMG found that hiring challenges are hurting. Without the tech talent coming to your firm, you can’t get great ideas from drawing board to customer.

To address this skills gap, companies can nurture and develop in-house talent and ensure they are hiring people with the requisite skills for open roles.

How to Hire More Effectively When There Is a Skills Shortage

When struggling to find qualified candidates, there are several strategies that you can employ.

First, consider hiring for transferrable skills from other industries. For example, a graphic designer might be able to design web pages, or someone with finance experience may have the ability to do data analysis. Remember, too, to hire for soft skills, such as leadership, communication, and teamwork. If hiring for transferrable skills, you should also focus on those candidates who can demonstrate they are self-starters and are committed to self-development.

You might also consider hiring for potential – recruiting talent that has the basic skillset you need, but the capacity to grow into an expanding role. If employing this approach, it is crucial to know the scope of the job as it stands today and how you expect a role to evolve in the next 12 months to five years.

Perhaps the easiest way to negate the skills gap is to partner with a staffing agency with the capability to provide a range of staffing solutions. This is especially useful to cover for short-term needs, where specific skillsets are required to kick start or complete a project, for example.

To use this last solution effectively, you must fully understand your needs – and address them with full-time, part-time, or temporary consultants. Benefits of this approach include:

• Immediate access to a large talent pool
• Reduced overtime pay and employment overheads
• Reduced (or eliminated) risks associated with hiring the wrong candidates
• Accessing the skills you need, when you need them

Eliminate the Skills Gap in Your Company Today

Working with Irvine Technology Corporation, our clients benefit from our proven history of sourcing, screening, and retaining top technology resources. We can deliver these on demand, allowing you to focus on your core business and staff-critical projects efficiently and effectively, without the additional overhead of full-time employees.

Offering several staffing options, our mission is to deliver the flexible, scalable, and highly effective technology staffing solutions that help your business to grow and achieve its full potential.

To eliminate the skills gap and have immediate access to the talent you need, contact ITC today.