Anybody who reads the business news is reminded almost daily that the world’s largest technology firms continue to lay off employees in large numbers, but that doesn’t mean the market for good information technology workers is softening.
Far from it—ManpowerGroup research shows the opposite is true. Earlier this year, we surveyed nearly 39,000 employers in 41 countries around the world. The findings were surprising. Even in a sluggish (at best) global economy, consider:
CHROs, hiring managers, and IT departments worldwide don’t need to see the numbers; they’re reminded every day that identifying, recruiting, interviewing, and hiring vital tech employees is a massive challenge.
In our IT World of Work 2023 Outlook, we identify seven key trends driving IT innovation and examine the effect these trends, briefly noted here, will have on the workforce:
1. Digital transformation is accelerating in every industry.
2. Artificial intelligence in its many forms (machine learning, large language libraries, chat, etc.) has exploded in ways the world is just beginning to grasp. AI in 2023 is what the internet was in 1993—with
more far-reaching challenges and benefits
3. The Internet of Things, already well established, will continue to grow at an exponential pace.
4. Software development is being revolutionized by AI/ML and other factors, demanding increased attention to quality assurance talent.
5. Enterprises will continue to move to the cloud, impacting businesses of all sizes in all industries.
6. Security, security, security—it will become more important, and more difficult to staff, than ever.
7. Automation and robotics skills will be vital as businesses seek to accomplish rote tasks via digital machines.
With businesses needing to find talent in all these areas, it’s no surprise that many now view the entire globe as the marketplace; 55% of our survey respondents say they’re willing to hire outside their borders, with a particular focus on IT and communications.
But this raises a fresh set of challenges. In the remote/hybrid ”gold rush” for talent, we’ve seen a big increase in “fake candidates.” These are people who lack IT skills but create impressive resumes. When it comes time for an interview, they may have a proxy feed them correct answers, or even stand in for them. Then these fake candidates become “real” employees and part of a large team that an end client pays for.
The IT skills crunch is very real, and it’s not going away anytime soon. But resourceful CHROs are finding creative solutions that will help their businesses not only access the skills they need but snare competitive advantage by standing out in their industry.
Download the full report CLICK HERE
By Carolyn Balkin
Vice President & General Manager, Global Sales
Global Leader, IT Industry Vertical
ManpowerGroup