Modern Solutions to the Tech Talent Shortage

The shortage of tech talent continues to grow at an exponential rate, with pending reform to the H-1B Visa program adding to the dismay of many technology employers throughout the United States. While the shortage gap in available tech talent continues to be a hot topic of conversation, there are modern strategies to deploy, which I’ll get to soon.

First, let’s take a look at some key points made by reporter Jon Swartz of USA TODAY. In his article "Businesses say they just can't find the right tech workers" published on March 28, 2017, he adds the following perspective to the problem in the tech sector:

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 1.4 million more software development jobs than applicants who can fill them by 2020.
• There are more than 500,000 open computing jobs nationwide, but less than 43,000 computer science students graduated into the workforce last year, according to Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science.
• Last year, the White House claimed the federal government alone needed an additional 10,000 IT and cybersecurity professionals.
• The availability of so many tech jobs – particularly in coding, the Internet of Things, big data and cybersecurity – presents an opportunity for Trump to make good on his promise to help frustrated workers while pursuing a $1 trillion infrastructure plan and major changes to the H-1B visa program, say educators and tech leaders.
• "The jobs are already here," says Rob Paul, president of DeVry University, which conducted research online for Career Advisory Board and offers educational services that includes boot camps for tech skills. "Speed is of the essence in filling them." The emergence of boot camps has slightly eased the problem in getting thousands of Americans up to snuff in skills for coding, Internet of Things, big data, cybersecurity and high-tech manufacturing, but doesn't go nearly far enough, say Paul and others.
• A fertile area is data analysis – 59% of organizations expect to increase positions requiring data analysis skills over the next five years, according to the Society for Human Resource Management and the American Statistical Association. Departments most in need are accounting and finance (71%), human resources (54%), and business and administration (50%), the report concluded.

So while we can agree the demand for technology and data-related talent is far greater than the supply, what is largely misunderstood is the strategies in which the problems might be alleviated.

Here at icrunchdata, we strongly believe in the art of candidate attraction. We are in an era where job seeker behavior has evolved to mirror that of the consumer. For consumers, there are numerous touchpoints now engaged prior to making a product buying decision. And in the parallel case of job seekers, candidates are now paying attention to employer branding more closely than ever, which includes an employer's social following, social content and distribution, site messaging and content, educational value-add blog posts, employee reviews and even video.

Now more than ever, there is an emphasis on third-party validation whereas employer content and messaging resides on credible, third-party sites. This validation attracts job seekers to your brand by perception. What large consumer brands have understood and utilized for decades, employers lag in understanding in that traditional tactics to recruit talent have given way to the modern approach of recruitment marketing and recruitment advertising to attract talent versus find it. At icrunchdata, we offer elegant ways for employers to present their brands through content, with robust distribution channels to reach a targeted and curated audience.

In addition, our IT job board platform has never been better in that employers can leverage skills-targeting to reach both passive and active job seekers. This is a huge breakthrough for the forward-thinking employer. Both job content and employer branding content can now live in a cohesive ecosystem providing both the necessary awareness and actionable calls to action to attract much desired tech talent. Learn more about IT jobs and the industry landscape.