In this week’s news roundup for IT pros, new stats on the ongoing war for IT talent, and important insights for digital leaders.
The talent crisis in 2017
Two new reports in the news this week shed light on what 2017 may bring in the race for technology talent.
First up, job site Indeed polled more than 1,000 hiring managers and recruiters and found that 86 percent of companies said they find it challenging to find and hire technical talent. What’s more, as Marcia Savage reports in InformationWeek, “Seventy-five percent of HR managers believe the time it takes to fill IT positions has increased in the past three years. Fifty-three percent reported hiring people who didn't meet the job requirements because of immediate need.” (Read more: Tech Talent Shortage Holding Back Business)
Filling open positions with the wrong candidates will directly impact CIOs who are focused on assembling the best team to tackle new and complex IT challenges in 2017. A report from Robert Half Technology provided insight into just what those jobs might be. Writing for TechRepublic, Alison DeNisco broke down the most in-demand jobs for 2017 according to the report: Database management (44 percent); desktop support (42 percent); network administration (42 percent); and cybersecurity (41 percent). (Read more: CIOs expect to increase hiring in 2017, here are the tech jobs that top their list)
The digital responsibility
Deloitte released the UK edition of its 2016-2017 Global CIO Survey, and Mark Lillie highlighted the takeaways in ComputerWeekly. He writes, “One of the problems the survey uncovered is that many CIOs and business leaders still have an unhelpfully narrow view of what digital actually means, and the opportunity it presents.” Lillie went on to highlight gaps in businesses’ expectations of their CIO and the actual capabilities they are bringing to the table. It’s an eye-opening study for all CIOs interested in being co-creators of digital transformation in 2017. (Read more: The digital opportunity for CIOs)
But digital leadership is not only reserved for the CIO; CEOs are also on the line. That’s according to an HBR article from Josh Bersin, which states: “Companies that rapidly adapt to digital business models don’t just ‘do digital;’ they ‘act digital.’ In other words, they practice an entirely new model of management. And their CEOs are leading the charge.” Bersin shares a few attributes of digital leaders and shares examples of effective digital leadership in action in his article. One key takeaway for CEOs: “Culture is key. Success is largely dependent on people sharing information with each other, partnering, and continuously educating themselves.” (Read more: Digital Leadership Is Not an Optional Part of Being a CEO)
