There aren’t enough qualified job candidates with the up-to-date digital skills,’ according to research from Robert Half Technology.
77% of tech business leaders said it is challenging to find candidates with the up-to-date digital skills that they are looking for. More than half of these leaders say their businesses are somewhat understaffed.
Over 3,000 hiring managers and CIOs in North America were surveyed for the report. The professionals listed four areas where they wanted to add team members: Programming and systems analysis, project management, business analysis, and security.
John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology said: ‘Our research shows companies look to improve cross-organizational collaboration, increase innovation and solve for business issues, all while trying to bring the best and brightest digital talent on board. ‘
The six digital skills that technology leaders require most are:
1) UX design
2) Data analysis
3) Content creation and marketing
4) Growth engineering and hacking
5) Social media marketing and management
6) Web Development
In June (2017), 83% of CIOs said their main obstacle is a shortage of qualified and available tech talent. In January (2017), 57% of tech leaders said they couldn’t find enough IT security professionals. 53% of technology professionals say their department is somewhat understaffed.
The Robert Half survey showed that around two-thirds of tech leaders said a lack of digital-savvy leadership was the top obstacles to completing a business’s digital marketing strategy. Other brands barriers included budget worries, similar skill gaps in the creative and marketing teams, and a lack of creative collaboration in the business.
For leaders, being able to identify obstacles facing their company can help them identify ways to overcome them, instead of not knowing. For future employees of the tech industry, knowing the skills that employers are looking for can make the difference between being a standout candidate and not having your CV even considered.