IT Skills Gap Cuts Across Technologies, Regions

IT Skills Gap Cuts Across Technologies, Regions

IT Skills Gap Cuts Across Technologies, Regions

By Maggie O’Neill

The Reality of the IT Skills Gap

Just 20% of IT leaders said that the skills gap is a myth, while 80% said it is a reality. Also, 78% of IT pros describe the skills gap as real.

Lack of Skills In-House

Only 32% of IT leaders believe their organizations have they skills they need in-house to address their IT needs, while 33% of IT pros do.

Candidate Mismatch

49% of IT leaders said job candidates lack preferred technical skills, while 21% said they lack preferred soft skills. Other hiring frustrations include lack of experience (13%) and lack of the right cultural fit (10%).

Difficulties in Finding Needed Talent

61% of IT leaders said that an unqualified talent pool is the greatest challenge in filling IT spots, while 60% cited a mismatch between needed skills and the ones candidates actually possess.

The Impact of a Tight Budget

57% said that budgetary constraints have an impact on hiring the right talent.

Lengthy Search Time for Positions

Finding quality candidates to fill open IT positions takes longer than expected, according to 48% of IT pros.

Effects on the Team

The top impacts on the IT team of unfilled IT positions include decreased efficiency, increased time to market and less quality work.

Filling the Skills Gap

59% of IT leaders are training and developing their current workforces to meet their skills needs, while 56% said they are using contract or temporary workers as a countermeasure.

Unrealistic Expectations

48% of IT pros said unrealistic technical requirements are the top challenge in finding a job, while 45% indicated that compensation is not in-line with their expectations.

More Job-Seeking Challenges

41% of IT pros described the skills needed for a job as too niche-oriented, while 38% said the application and hiring process takes too long.

Hard on Both Ends

81% of IT leaders described the hiring process as extremely or moderately difficult, while 73% of IT pros said it is extremely or moderately difficult.