US Facing Quality and Quantity Problems with IT Professionals
If you believe that the information technology (IT) profession is suffering from a shortage of workers, you should check out this recent article on CIO.com that discusses this very issue.
We all should know that the great recession from 2008 to 2010 caused many companies to cut back dramatically and do more with less. In addition, the economic recovery has been lackluster, to say the least. Well, except for the stock-market rally. So, where are these job issues coming from? Let’s find out.
The CIO.com article describes the Technology Councils of America's survey that found that companies are facing two problems: the diminishing quantity and quality of candidates.
Let’s look at the quality problem first. Another article on CIO.com says that US schools aren’t producing enough STEM talent. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. That’s a good observation and probably very true, given the demand.
Regarding the quantity of technical people, the article details how the US House of Representatives is not moving on allowing more H-1B Visas, which impacts foreign workers in the United States. Of course, in today’s toxic environment in Washington DC, little will be accomplished in this area with elections coming up next year.
This doesn’t mean companies can throw in the towel just yet, as a piece on sideroad.com points out. First, look at employee retention efforts. How many companies have a retention plan in place? The articles offers common sense ways to keep employees, as the recent recession lulled many companies into believing employees have to stay due to the down market.
Companies have to cultivate the talent that is coming down the road through the education pipeline, and perhaps CIOs might need to ask for a reform in our education system. I say we need to take that thought a step forward and have businesses get directly involved by giving grants to high schools, technical centers, and colleges in order to cultivate future talent.
Not everyone agrees that there is a shortage of STEM workers, as Gizmodo points out. The post looks at possible results from declaring a shortage that may not even exist. It can cause too many students to pursue STEM careers, which could lead to a glut of talent, or it can force students to overemphasize STEM subjects while ignoring the humanities. Incorporating a broad education creates a balanced worker pool.
The post asks if the data is being “cherry picked,” thus leading to false conclusions. Either way. I don’t think we can get any agreement from the two camps on that issue.
What do you think? Are you seeing a shortage of good IT talent at your organization?
