Top 7 ways the skills gap can affect your business!
Editor's Comments: IT leaders need to think of the skills gap as a RISK to their business. Talent strategies to close the skills gap should be included as part of every business continuity plan! ********** Here is a list of 7 ways that the skills gap can impact your business: Increased stress on your employees Difficulty meeting quality objectives Delays in developing new products or services Increased operating expenses Declining customer satisfaction Loss of business to c
Why the Coming Job Crisis is Bigger Than You Think!
Editor's Comments: This is a very thought provoking article. I focus on the tech skills gap but this article describes a coming job crisis that is much broader. The impact on the middle class could be profound as entire industries are digitally transformed. In the future the ability to pivot and continually learn will be key to employment. Do you agree that this could be a crisis or is it just hype? Let me know what you think. ********** The incoming Trump administration h
Looking for ways to engage with candidates? Think Mobile!
You can't solve your technology skills gap without candidates. A mobile recruiting strategy is a great way to connect with Millennials and Gen. Z candidates. These generations are constantly checking their mobile devices. Research from Deloitte found that 50 percent of people check their smartphones at least 25 times a day, and that roughly 10 percent of people check their smartphones more than 100 times per day. A study by Jibe and Kelton Global on job seekers found that
Skills Gap is a worldwide Concern: Global Knowledge 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report
Editor's Comments: The 2017 IT Skills and Salary Report from Global Knowledge confirms that skills gaps are a global concern. This year Global Knowledge reached out to over 14,300 IT professionals. They also expanded the scope of the research from the U.S. and Canada to Latin America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The results are well worth taking the time to review. While salary and skills are different around the world the issues that IT shops face are similar. According to th
State of the Mainframe 2017
Editor's Comments: This annual survey from Syncsort will provide an excellent overview of key aspects of the mainframe space. The author's report that "mainframe organizations understand that subject matter experts are aging and retiring. Technologies that help address the diminishing pool of mainframe talent and expertise will rise in importance. New IT professionals entering organizations are not coming in with the exposure and experience needed to backfill and replace exi
The HR Skills you will need in the age of AI
Editor's Comments: HR is in the midst of enormous change. The depth and breath of skills required to be successful in an HR role is evolving at an unprecedented rate. Today, facts and data are required to make strategic workforce decisions and intuition plays a less important role. Technology is playing a key role in all areas of HR. Are you ready for the future? ********** In a recent TLNT article on the dawning age of AI and automation, TLNT Editor John Zappe states, As
Why there's life left in the mainframe yet!
Editor's Comments: This excellent report by Syncsort highlights that while there is some shrinkage in the market the mainframe is not going away. There is however a persistent skills issue associated with the mainframe. Baby boomers are retiring and many of these systems are not well documented. CIO's at mainframe shops can do nothing or reduce the risk with a comprehensive talent strategy. ********** Syncsort's annual mainframe survey shows that while the mainframe might
Australia to abolish visa for skilled workers
Editor's Comments: Organizations in Australia, like their counterparts in the U.K., Canada and the U.S., have relied on visa programs to plug critical skill shortages in tech areas such as cyber security, cloud and data analytics, over the last few years. The concern is that the visas were being used by businesses to bring in cheaper overseas labour rather than fill genuine skills gaps. Does this sound familiar? We certainly heard this in Canada and had a similar change
Why more tech workers should take sabbaticals
Editor's Comments: I love the concept of sabbaticals being offered within the workplace! I think that we will see this being offered on a broader basis as Generation Z enters the workplace. They were born between the mid-1990s to the early 2000s and are 72.8 million strong. They are the first true digital generation and grew-up with smart phones. According to David & Jonah Stillman, co-authors of Gen Z @ Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace (HarperBu
Learning to trust your employees to work from home
Editor's Comments: I have been involved in designing flexible work programs since 2000. The issue of 'trust' was a major concern in the early days of 'telework' when remote workers and supervisors had little more than internet and email to rely on. Today there are a variety of collaboration tools, including presence and video conference to support remote workers, in ways we never thought possible. The fact that 'trust' is still an issue nearly 20 years after the first pr
