A new survey by Experis, part of ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), found that employers need to be more creative and agile in their talent strategy – both inside and outside their organizations.
“The IT sector is growing quickly,” ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jonas Prising said. “While there is an acute demand for highly technical candidates, great potential lies within adaptable generalists’ candidates that is frequently untapped. This can be detrimental, as the soft skills these individuals possess are often the most challenging to find. Companies can look within to fully explore workforce potential and reskill employees to fill gaps and meet their talent needs.”
When asked why they were having difficulty filling tech roles, 34% of hiring managers said candidates did not have the right technical skills, 32% said candidates didn’t have the right relevant experience and 27% cited the absence of the right soft skills.
The research also found that 22% of hiring managers have severe difficulty in finding IT project managers, followed by cybersecurity analysts, software developers, and AI/machine learning specialists, each 20%.
In addition, the report revealed that 46% of organizations are accelerating investment in technology and prioritizing cyber security. This was followed by the internet of things, 44%; e-commerce platforms, 43%; and cloud computing, 41%.
The report further suggests four approaches for organizations:
Open the middle. One in five organizations globally is having trouble finding skilled tech talent. Companies should look inward to fill the roles they need, tapping workforce potential and reskilling employees to fill gaps and meet the challenges ahead.
Find the hidden talent. Employers have to be more adaptable, unlock new sources of talent, and recruit based on potential, not necessarily past experience.
Trust the data strategy. To get better results from recruitment, retention, and HR strategies, companies can leverage data-analytics tools to make better decisions and reduce attrition.
Lead with confidence. Companies guided by culture and values will be the ones that adapt well to the new workforce reality and win the war on talent.
The report includes data from 40,000 employers in 40 countries.