FEATURE : DIGITALIZATION
An Equinix survey reveals IT leaders in Asia-Pacific have serious concerns about staff retention and recruitment and view these issues as a threat to their business .
A survey by Equinix , the global digital infrastructure company , revealed IT leaders in Asia-Pacific have serious concerns about staff retention and recruitment .
According to the Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey , 63 % of IT decision makers view a shortage of personnel with IT skills as one of the main threats to their business . Companies – including Equinix – are looking to widen the talent pool , bringing in more diverse candidates through alternative recruitment drives .
The 2,900 survey respondents acknowledged the speed at which the tech industry is transforming has left companies struggling to find and retain people with the right skill sets to meet present and future challenges . up their skills or careers , tech companies that offer training and development opportunities could be better positioned to attract talent .
The most common sources of reskilled workers are finance and insurance ( 39 %), administration and business support ( 37 %), manufacturing ( 30 %) and those returning to work after a period of absence ( 30 %). These reskilled workers tend to help businesses bridge the tech skills gaps by working as IT technicians ( 46 %), and in cloud computing ( 40 %) and data analysis roles ( 37 %).
In the Asia-Pacific region , there is a relatively prominent tech skill gap for cloud computing specialists ( 29 %), followed by professionals with AI / Machine Learning aptitude ( 26 %) and IT technicians ( 26 %). A higher percentage of IT decision makers in Asia-Pacific also identify a skills gap in data protection specialists ( 24 %), compared to other regions .
They anticipate that the biggest tech skills gap will lie in AI / Machine Learning ( 28 %) in 2025 , followed by cloud computing ( 26 %) and AR / VR ( 24 %). Asia-Pacific IT leaders also consider candidates with the wrong skill sets applying for jobs ( 45 %), the changing workforce expectations around ways of working ( 43 %) and the pay and compensation packages for employees ( 41 %) as the top three biggest skill challenges their businesses face .
In response to skills shortages , many businesses are working hard to reskill human capital from other industries . 69 % of Asia-Pacific IT leaders said they reskill workers from similar industries , while 44 % are trying to bolster their workforce with recruits from unrelated sectors . With recent layoffs and furlough schemes driving workers to seek opportunities to level
“ Finding the right skills is a real problem in the tech industry , especially on the software side . The reality is that with the softwarization of services , all industries are seeking the same skills ,” said Keri Gilder , CEO of Colt Technology Services . “ One of the challenges here is a lack of awareness among young talent of the opportunities available within the tech sector .
More than 85 % of Asia- Pacific businesses are reskilling IT workers in response to the growing tech skills gap
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