You’ve probably read my posts about the Talent Crunch — and about a potential IT talent shortage.  My comments have been based on demographics, Manpower research and on anecdotal evidence as I ask for a show of hands when speaking to large groups.

But lately I’ve been reading articles that oppose the shortage theory.  Most recently I read Is There Really an IT Labor Shortage? on Baselinemag.com.  Very interesting and worth reading.

To those who concur there is a shortage and to those who don’t, I agree with you both.  That’s because it depends.  It depends on where you are.  In some regions and in some cities, good IT talent is hard to come by.  And it depends on the specific skills you seek.  I would also argue that the economy has something to do with it.

But either way we should:

• Encourage the best and brightest to enter the IT field.
• Give IT talent the tools they need to keep their skills up to date.
• Make sure we’re balancing demand and supply.  Let’s not make too many only to face a glut that causes schools and students to pull back from the profession.

What do you think?  Is there a shortage?

No.  This isn’t another Celebrity Apprentice post (we’ll save that one for after Thursday’s show).  Rather, I wanted you to read an article on Trump University called America’s Most Wanted Jobs.

The Donald agrees with what we’ve been saying – jobs are available, but people don’t necessarily have the skills to fill them.  His contention is that if you’re serious about finding work, look carefully because there is work out there. 

You don’t have to be a contestant (or celebrity) on Celebrity Apprentice to find work.  According to Trump, you just have to know where to look.

I’ve been doing some research for a panel I’m moderating in a few weeks at an IT gathering.  The subject is — you guessed it — the talent shortage.

Some of the IT statistics I’ve found are a bit scary (if you’re an IT manager) and could be considered encouraging if you’re looking for IT work or if you’re a student.

So if you’re a potential employee I have some advice:

• Keep your skills current — take personal responsibility for learning new things.
• Specialize, if possible. The higher-end network analysts, architects and systems analysts are what many employers are seeking.
• Study business and management — I’m finding that most employers want a well-rounded IT professional who understands the business, can communicate well with internal customers and has management potential.

Does anyone have more to add to this advice?

Yes, we’re aging.  Yes, baby boomers will be eligible for retirement soon.  Yes, there weren’t as many of the baby ‘bust’ generation born to replace those boomers.  But is that the extent of the labor problem?  Will we just be running out of people?  Or is there a bigger issue?

Technology has changed the way many things get done.  ATMs, shipping containers, Google, factory robots… we can even check out of the grocery store without the help of a human being.  Technology has raised productivity — maybe even enough to make up for the predicted demographic shortages.  But the news isn’t all good.  Technology has also dramatically upgraded the skill sets required in the contemporary workplace.

So even if we don’t run out of labor, will we run out of labor with the skills we need?  What do you think?

Will the market take care of itself and pre-empt the predicted labor shortage? 

It’s a question of supply and demand.  If we decrease demand — through technology, job redesign, outsourcing, offshoring — will it be enough?

Demographics aside, many say it won’t.  Technology has changed the skill-sets required to do even the simplest of jobs (or it has eliminated them!). 

So…

• if our education system isn’t keeping up,
• or if businesses don’t reskill and upskill their existing employees,
• or if we aren’t taking personal responsibility to keep our skills up-to-date

…will we run out of the people we need to get the work done?