CIOs have long grappled with tech skills shortages. But as economies recover around the world, the recruitment challenge is reaching new heights.
The pandemic resulted in a lot of projects being put on hold, notes John Nash, founder and chairman of tech recruitment agency Nicholson. But as budgets are released again, it’s creating a raft of new jobs and vacancies.
That’s not the only challenge. Lockdowns unleashed a wave of digital transformation that continues today, further boosting demand for talent.
And in the UK, the exodus of tech skills since the Brexit referendum has been a key issue, one that’s “had a major impact”, says Nash.
To make matters worse, as many as 82% of the 2,120 senior technology decision-makers surveyed globally for Harvey Nash Group’s 2021 Digital Leadership Report believe the pandemic has in many instances changed employee priorities, which include wanting a better work-life balance. Staff retention is more difficult as a result.
The problem is now so severe that just over two thirds of the CIOs questioned are unable to keep up with the change their business requires due to a lack of available talent. Skills in particularly short supply include cybersecurity (43%), demand for which has risen by 23% over the last 12 months alone; Big Data and data analytics (40%) and technical architects (34%).
So what’s the answer to the “Great Resignation”, as it’s called in the US? Getting into salary bidding wars is rarely the answer, even at a time of rampant wage inflation, warns Nash.
“If you ask people to put their priorities in order, money is nearly always ranked at three or four,” he says. “But in tech, you find managers or founders focus too much on that and less on the things that create job satisfaction, which most people put at number one.”
Number two on the list is generally career development, Nash adds, while location and job security are often interchangeable with pay.
Failing to truly understand what makes staff tick means employers also fail to tackle the underlying causes of any dissatisfaction – and why employees want to leave.
Sandeep Sakharkar is CIO of global contract logistics company GXO Logistics, managing a team of 1,000 people. He thinks there are four considerations for engaging, motivating and retaining tech workers.
The first is to create an authentic culture in which people actually want to work, while also feeling that they’re doing something meaningful. Part of this means ensuring everyone – including the CIO – lives and breathes the company’s values and purpose so they permeate through all areas of activity. “It’s important that values are seen in action,” he says.
