The life of an IT recruiter is not easy. New technologies are evolving rapidly, and the needs of an organization are changing equally quickly. Job titles like ‘data scientists’ and ‘cloud engineers’ only came into existence a few years ago. To make matters worse, it is likely that your competition is looking to hire the same talent as you. Thus, the pool of ideal candidates shrinks even more. Recruiting the correct employee is becoming increasingly challenging.
In a recent survey by Future Workplace and The Learning House, that interviewed over 600 HR leaders in the US, it was revealed that almost half of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the level of preparation students had when entering into the professional world. Over a third claimed that it was much harder to fill IT staff roles. So, what makes IT staffing gaps such a pain to fill?
The Struggle With Filling IT Roles
In an age where most companies are striving to be as agile as possible, Information Technology (IT) has taken center stage. High adoption rates of enterprise software and automation technology, has seen sometimes finance and manufacturing companies hire more developers than traditional software companies. It is a trend that is expected to continue.
Companies need technology to retain their competitive edge and stay relevant. To do that, they need the best-skilled employees at their disposal. However, it is not always easy to find and retain top talent. The latest skills are in short supply, and companies often find themselves fighting over the same candidate which makes hiring even more difficult.
How To Deal With The Skills Gap
Despite an established skills gap though, the same survey found companies are reluctant to spend more on re-skilling, or training and development. Only 74% of organizations were found to be willing to invest $500 or more on an employee on training and re-skilling. Instead, they were more interested in hiring the finished product with around 66% of respondents indicating they would be willing to hire candidates with a recognized certification in the area.
40% believed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) could be the solution. Nearly 50% also indicated they would be willing to outsource their IT needs to a Managed Service Provider (MSP).
What are the Benefits Of Outsourcing Your IT Services?
If you believe that investing in the training and re-skilling of staff might not be for you, you should consider outsourcing. When you outsource your IT needs to an MSP, you outsource your IT skills issue to someone else as well. Your HR team won't have to worry about building new job descriptions or spend obscene amounts of time researching information on the latest trends in technology.
Some of the benefits of outsourcing include:
- No IT burdens for the core team
- Instant access to talent
- Reduced learning times with expert guidance
- Reduced turnover of employees
- Reduced overhead and risks
Why Use Managed Services?
A Managed Service Provider that has sufficient experience can perform a ‘skill-gap analysis’ on your current IT environment and let you know how to fill it. The solution could include hiring staff where necessary or it could be to use Automation Software and AI to reduce the need for manpower whilst increasing efficiency.
MSPs retain access to a global workforce and have to comply with various laws, rules and regulations, and air-tight SLAs because of their work with various clients. They must keep their workforce highly skilled and up-to-date wherever possible. Vendors of technologies like RPA can use Machine Learning to mimic human employees. Other AI technologies like User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) can keep your IT environment secure from cyber threats.
To learn more about all that a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can do to bridge your IT staffing gap, download our FREE Ultimate Managed Services Checklist below, or contact us today.
