GARTNER: Mangel an geeigneten Fachkräften in der IT bedroht Wachstum von Unternehmen

Factors affecting the supply of talent

Past investments have created a tangle of IT complexity which can only be solved by throwing people at the task. This is unsustainable given the weight of IT-driven business change now underway and increasing concern with differentiation through customised applications intensifies the complexity and creates the legacy assets of tomorrow.

Many chief information officers (CIOs) see outsourcing as a way of making up for the lack of talent but that is not a solution. Suppliers are suffering from the same shortages of skills and talent. Many young people in the West see IT as an unattractive career option: it is both hard work and “uncool.” There is no pipeline of local people emerging with degrees in computer science or related disciplines.

Demographics are making matters worse. People who were born before 1964 – the baby boomers – are nearing retirement and are looking forward to part-time work and entrepreneurial activities. College graduates and 20-somethings are heading towards IT-related work in the media and Internet companies. Young students in the United States are not enrolling in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (the STEM disciplines). But these disciplines are attracting students in developing countries. In China, universities graduate about 500,000 IT and high-tech students every year.

Responding to the challenge

“I keep meeting CIOs who say they will be running resource-constrained projects in 2008,” said Mr Kyte. “The constraint is not from the budget but from the lack of the right people.” Companies need to anticipate this constraint in their plans. They must expect to pay more for the same output or reduce the level of output that can be achieved from flat spending. They should explore alternative ways of delivering IT service and keep monitoring markets to spot emerging threats.

Identifying the people, competences and roles that will be required has to be ongoing. Companies are going to need people who offer much more than technical certification or specific skills. They will need people with experience in roles such as project management and business process analysis, preferably with professional expertise in such disciplines as architectures, process modelling and portfolio management. Finally, they will need people with drive, initiative and leadership skills.

Additional information is available in the report “The Quest for Talent – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” The report is available at Gartner’s Web site at http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=569115&subref=advsearch

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