During my local
Microsoft Community Connection event, one of the key topics was the IT labor shortage.
Local IT PRO user group leader and MVP,
Will Craddock recently described the IT shortage and added some perspective from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Clearly, there are more jobs available now then ever, but
why are these jobs going unfilled?
I am a
.NET user group leader in my community; in my role, I have been exposed to some of the employee / employer challenges.
In the past 1 year, I have had 2 recent graduates contact me looking for employment opportunities. They had short term employment and had troubles finding development position in the local market.
I referred these developers to employers in need.
How did their interviews turn out?
<quote>
Sorry, we are looking for someone able to hit the ground running.
</quote>
As a result, these developers were forced to leave the local community to find employment in other markets.
I have been in interviews as the interiewer and interiewee when this expectation is voiced by the employer.
Look at any job posting, you will likely find the tag '
x years experience required'.
If employers are limiting their criteria by those with experience,
there will be no new talent.
The same developers with experience end up revolving around the industry.
I believe this is in part because development shops typically run at 110%.
Once they hit the 120%+ mark they will likely say
'Holy crap, we are paying a shitload of OT... we need another developer stat!'
Running a development shop at 90% means 10% wages are going towards non-billable activities; which looks bad on your employers bottom line.
My advice to these employers is to make an investment in your employees.
Spend the 10% slack time on internal projects or training activities.
It is likely your organization has a number of legacy applications (Brownfield applications) that could use some TLC. |
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So before the IT industry starts screaming 'The Sky is Falling!!' they should consider opening up their employment strategy.
As developers, we are constantly looking for ways to be agile; maybe employers can take note.