Is the digital skills gap growing? New data highlights how a majority of cloud professionals feel the skills gap has increased. But what can be done about it?
If you’re a decision-maker in tech, you’ll know that the digital skills gap looks set to be your most pressing issue for 2023—and the data backs this up.
In Microsoft’s recent Global Knowledge Study, over two-thirds of IT decision makers surveyed worldwide reported a “gap between their team’s skill levels and the knowledge required to achieve organizational objectives”. And an additional 37% stated that that work pressure is now “very challenging” or “the worst they’ve seen” because of it.
Though advances in artificial intelligence can help organizations bridge their skills gaps in certain areas, the AI market itself is another area that is sorely lacking skilled professionals. In fact, according to Salesforce, just 1 in 10 global workers currently possess AI skills.
What are workers saying about the digital skills gap?
To help your organization understand the state of the skills gap from the ground up, we evaluated the data from cloud tech professionals surveyed across multiple ecosystems in our sister companies’ Careers and Hiring Guides. Participants were asked the following questions and these were their responses.
"Does an IT gap exist in your community?"
Yes
63%
No
18%
Not sure
20%
"Reflecting on the last twelve months, would you say the skills gap has…?"
Increased
52%
Decreased
12%
Stayed the same
31%
The results aren’t exactly reassuring. When asked “Does an IT gap exist in your community”, over half of the respondents said yes and just 18% said no. And when asked if the skills gap has changed in the last twelve months, over half of the participants said they felt that it had actually increased!
We asked our Chairman and CEO, James Lloyd-Townshend, for his thoughts on this data and what it means for our sector as a whole. As a former Managing Director at Hays plc, he is no stranger to the impact that the skills gap is having on organizations around the globe.
What can be done about the digital skills gap?
In the words of our Chairman and CEO, “a multi-focal approach seems like our best bet for addressing the skills gap—whether that’s expanding the talent pool by recruiting from untapped demographics or thinking about how we can support existing professionals to pursue re-skilling and upskilling.”
As cloud talent experts, we know that, when skilled professionals are this scarce, thinking outside of the box is paramount to accessing the skills you need to meet business objectives and grow as an organization.
That means widening the talent pool by looking at professionals who have taken a less “traditional” route into technology. Cross-training, reskilling, and upskilling are effective, and increasingly popular, ways to become a tech professional – so recruiting people with these kind of entry routes can be a highly effective way to fill your vacant positions.
At the same time, providing opportunities for your existing professionals to reskill or upskill into business-critical roles can be a fantastic way to access the talent you need, while also increasing employee retention and satisfaction.
Reskill your existing employees to close your skills gaps with Revolent
Want to reskill your existing employees and generate the talent you need to meet vital business objectives?
Our specialized reskill programs can transform your employees into business-ready, certified cloud professionals with the technical, commercial, and consultancy skills needed to make an difference from day one.
What’s more, our programs can be tailored around your existing projects and business needs, minimizing the impact on your organization, while ensuring your teams have the skills needed to drive business growth.
It’s a cost-effective alternative to hiring new talent into your business which also increases employee satisfaction and retention—which can help you avoid loss of knowledge through staff turnover. Interested? Learn more here.
Methodology
Statistics were derived from the latest (2022-2023) careers and hiring guides offered by Tenth Revolution Group and its recruitment brands. The total sample size for this study was 921 for Question 1 and 574 for Question 2. Respondents were tech professionals working across Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Business Applications, NetSuite, and Salesforce.
