The IT and tech skills gap is increasingly becoming an industry-wide issue, with the disparity between skilled job vacancies and trained candidates impacting technology growth in the UK. To better understand its causes, impacts on organisations, and potential solutions, Hyve surveyed over 500 UK business leaders and IT decision-makers.
In this report:
- How many organisations are facing an IT and tech skills shortage?
- What are the main causes of the skills gap?
- What are the most common effects?
- What actions are businesses taking to address the issue?
IT and Tech Skills Gap Report
84% of businesses are facing an IT and tech skills gap
Just over 4 in 5 (84%) of UK business leaders and decision makers report that their organisations are facing the issue of the IT and tech skills shortage, and 81% of respondents have experienced negative impacts from that shortage. The most common problems that are associated with a skills shortage in IT and tech are technology performance (30%), lack of innovation (28%), falling behind competitors (26%), employee frustration and turnover (26%), and difficulty keeping up with clients (24%).
The main causes of the skills gap
The main causes of the lack of skilled IT and tech professionals identified by the survey include rapidly evolving IT/tech sectors (42%), high competition for talent (35%), and inadequate training or applicant availability from educational institutions (31% and 30%, respectively).
96% of businesses are already tackling the skills gap
A significant number of respondents (96%) stated that they are already taking action to address the skills shortage. Over half of the researched businesses (51%) are investing in the training and development of their staff, and 40% are improving recruitment processes. 35% of the respondents stated that they are currently working with suppliers or managed service providers to plug the IT/ tech skills gap.
65% of businesses are using an MSP
According to the research, around 65% of business leaders in the UK use managed service providers (MSPs). MSPs are most frequently used for security (61%) and infrastructure management (51%). 46% of the companies reported experiencing a severe skills gap and confirmed that they rely heavily on MSPs to address the shortage.
