Melissa Person-Ashforth

CEO of Melissa International

"Finding and retaining IT talent requires organizations to think outside the box and focus less on finding the perfect hire and more on keeping current candidates and employees engaged, motivated, and eager to learn new skills. For me, of course, it's about finding the right skills, but also knowing that treating my employees well, compensating and rewarding them, means keeping them happy."

The 2018 State of the CIO report concluded that, after years of discord, IT and business areas are finally learning to work together to drive strategic initiatives and achieve shared goals. To do this, of course, organizations need IT talent — but some roles are harder to fill than others.

Jobs related to cutting-edge technology, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Virtual Reality, are so specialized that educational programs cannot keep up with pipeline demands, while others, such as cloud, application development, and enterprise software, are simply in over-demand.

Finding and retaining IT talent requires organizations to think outside the box and focus less on finding the perfect hire and more on keeping current candidates and employees engaged, motivated, and eager to learn new skills, says Melissa Person-Ashforth, CEO of Melissa International.

"For me, of course, it's about finding the right skills, but also knowing that treating my employees well, compensating and rewarding them, means keeping them happy," says Ashforth. “Everyone making a concerted effort to go above and beyond, learn more, and acquire new skills.”

Culture is also an important piece of the puzzle, says Sherri Douville, CEO of Medigram, a fast-growing startup. Douville says culture is key to ensuring she can attract, hire, and retain the right people. “We don't have a big problem hiring for IT roles, but our culture is a big part of that. We are not trying to transform or change an existing culture, which can be difficult in existing and traditional companies,” she says.

Salary, of course, is still at the top of the candidate attractiveness list, and hiring for any IT role requires keeping up with market rates. But focusing on benefits, perks, and culture can help you attract, hire, and retain even for the hardest-to-fill IT roles.

Based on the 2018 State of the CIO report, here are the top 10 hardest IT jobs for employers to fill, so you know where to spend extra effort when hiring.

1. Security/Risk Management

More than a third (39%) of respondents say they expect difficulties in finding the right qualifications to fill security and risk management positions, according to our survey. “Cybersecurity protections must be your number 1 priority, always,” says Person-Ashforth. “We often see clients avoiding this until they have a breach, which is a mistake.”

Furthermore, as regulations like GDPR come into force, this area, which already faces a talent shortage, becomes one of the most important priorities for IT departments.

2. Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Analytics

Thirty-six percent of respondents say that filling Business Intelligence and Analytics roles remains difficult. Knowing how to collect, process, analyze, and act upon the vast amounts of business intelligence and data flowing into companies each year is a crucial strategic area; and a major competitive differentiator in a digital economy.

3. Cloud Integration

Twenty-one percent of respondents say they expect difficulties filling cloud integration roles. And as more organizations shift from on-premises to cloud deployments, the need for cloud integration talent will continue to grow. Whether integrating with legacy systems or migrating between cloud providers, it is a critical IT skill set.

4. Application Development

Whether developing applications for internal corporate use to drive business objectives or developing applications for external clients, this area is another critical IT function facing a shortage of skilled talent. Some organizations are turning to low-code development to help ease the pressure; 20% of respondents said they will have trouble filling application development roles.

5. Enterprise Software (ERP, CRM)

For large enterprises, ERP and CRM solutions are necessary to ensure efficiency, stay within budgets, and, of course, communicate effectively with customers, and 19% of respondents say they will have difficulty filling enterprise software roles. “This area is especially important to us, as we are using Salesforce to manage and measure campaign effectiveness, in addition to next-generation Digital Marketing platforms,” says Person-Ashworth.

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

There is a lot of buzz around AI lately, especially in how it can help companies be more efficient and the ways in which it will affect or eliminate certain roles. Skilled talent for building, monitoring, and maintaining AI will be in high demand as this technology evolves and matures. Currently, 18% of respondents anticipate that AI roles will be difficult to fill.

7. DevOps / Agile Processes

Nowadays, every company is an IT company, and the vast majority are involved in some type of software development to conduct their business, whether it is their sole operational mission or just leveraging software to enhance their core line of business. DevOps and Agile are methodologies that make it easier and faster to build and deploy software, maintaining close adherence to customer and end-user requirements at all stages of development. Seventeen percent of respondents say it will be difficult to fill DevOps/Agile roles.

8. Internet of Things (IoT - connected devices, sensors)

Sixteen percent of respondents say they will have difficulty filling roles related to the Internet of Things (IoT), including roles involving the building, programming, monitoring, and maintenance of connected devices, sensors, and everything else that involves IoT.

9. Enterprise Architecture

The rules of digital transformation and disruption in today's tech world, and enterprise architecture can proactively and holistically help a company's response to these forces, identifying the company's existing structure and strategy and planning how to best direct it. These roles are critical for any forward-looking company that wants to remain a market leader, but 16% of respondents say they will have difficulty filling enterprise architecture roles.

10. Cloud Services

Whether public or private, cloud services allow ubiquitous access to configurable and customizable shared resource pools offered to customers over the Internet. With more and more organizations accessing one or more cloud services, the demand for talent with experience in provisioning, troubleshooting, and managing cloud services is increasing. Currently, 16% of respondents say they will have difficulty filling roles related to cloud services. Source: http://cio.com.br/gestao/