Firstly, this is not a new phenomenon. For at least ten years people have spoken of a skills crisis rather than simply a shortage. In many areas this has been, and continues to be, an accurate description of the availability of appropriately skilled and experienced IT staff.
Is it getting worse?
Yes it is. The brain drain is more than a clich'e and we are losing far too many good people to other countries. Generally speaking, it is the cream of the crop that is attracting the attention of aggressive overseas recruiters, whose adverts are beginning to dominate traditional recruitment publications. It is very difficult to replace these people at anything like the rate at which they are leaving.
Which areas are most affected?
As far as I am aware, no definitive study has been done to determine the exact areas that are most affected but from our experience it is obvious that there are very limited resources in the following categories:
- Object/Component developers (Java, C++, Delphi, Visual Basic, SQL)
- Oracle developers and DBAs
- IT Project Managers with good business experience
- Consultants (SAP, BaaN, JD Edwards)
- Network Engineers
- Web developers
It is not always the quantity of available skills that is the issue. The large majority of employers are looking for IT staff with at least two years experience and many entry-level people with acceptable qualifications are finding it difficult to break into the job market.
What can the industry do to minimize the effects?
Although many employers throw up their hands in frustration, claiming that there is nothing that they can do about it, there are some highly effective strategies that every employer can implement to retard the skills shortage in their organization.
Firstly, companies should work as hard at retaining their staff. Exasperated by a widespread lack of professional management of technical and human resources, IT environments are not renowned for their human focus but attention to an employees development needs and growth aspirations will drastically reduce staff turnover. It is really the topic for a further discussion but the real cost of losing staff is horrendous and far outweighs the investment in training and other employee satisfaction efforts. Clearly this strategy is unlikely to persuade against emigration but when you consider that at least 80% of your staff are not going to leave the country, it is a worthwhile attempt.
Secondly, companies must take the leap and employ entry-level staff. The investment in training and growing these people can at face value seem unprofitable. SMEs in particular are afraid that once they have taken a graduate to the marketable two-year experience level somebody else is going to poach them. That danger exists but if you work hard at retaining these employees then this risk is minimized.
Besides catering for their technical growth, companies should strive to help their IT employees meet their personal and social development aspirations.
Finally, ensure that the IT professionals you are taking on board have the right mix of aptitude and attitude to become long-term, productive employees. You can achieve this by choosing your recruitment consultancies carefully. If they don`t have a proven track record of referring quality candidates who have been thoroughly reference checked, as well as technically tested don`t use them.
What role will the Employment Equity Bill play?
Properly and sincerely implemented by business, the requirements of the Employment Equity Bill has the potential to tap vast resources. This will, however, be a medium to long-term solution and also depends on factors outside of the IT industry`s influence for success. Here I refer mostly to the ability of the education system to produce matriculants with university entrance math and science qualifications.
Share
