IT staff shortages damage the bottom line: IDC report

On its own, that college graduate shortage is not necessarily a bad thing because such degrees are not always needed for advanced work, such as cybersecurity defenses or AI coding. Moreover, many IT leaders are rethinking college degree and experience requirements in favor of skills-first hiring approaches. But it does require specialized training.

Some enterprises “are begging AWS to start certification programs,” Smith said. 

Although not addressed in the report, Smith said that not all compensation packages — especially salaries — have kept current with the value of available talent.

“In any competitive market, the laws of supply and demand are in effect” suggesting the need for higher pay, Smith said. 

But many employees — especially GenZ workers — place compensation lower on their list of priorities, preferring to have “flexibility and a clear path ahead of them,” Smith said. “For the GenZ contingent, they love these online credentials.”

“Getting the right people with the right skills into the right roles has never been so difficult,” Smith stressed. “As IT skills shortages widen and the arrival of new technology accelerates, enterprises must find creative ways to hire, train, upskill, and reskill their employees.”